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Oprah winning in 2020 was predicted by the Boondocks cartoon 12 years ago

Mr Trump was himself predicted to become president by a cartoon, the Simpsons

Clark Mindock
New York
Tuesday 09 January 2018 17:00 EST
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The 'Boondocks' prediction was featured in the first season of the show
The 'Boondocks' prediction was featured in the first season of the show (Cartoon Network)

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A cartoon may have predicted President Donald Trump’s future years ago, but a different one may have predicted a failed reelection campaign, too.

Following the ruckus stirred by Oprah Winfrey’s booming speech Sunday night at the Golden Globes, pundits and celebrities alike have been foaming at the mouth at the possibility that the self-made billionaire may run against Mr Trump in 2020.

As it turns out, the cartoon “The Boondocks” once predicted just that — 12 years ago.

A scene in the first season of the show featured a glance at a newspaper announcing the news: “Oprah Winfrey Elected President”. The date? November 8, 2020.

If we’re going to take the cartoon tea leaves seriously, it’s worth noting that the date on that newspaper also predicts some sort of debacle surrounding the election, as Election Day 2020 is scheduled to take place on November 3. Perhaps the vote will be just too close between Oprah and Mr Trump to call that Tuesday evening, who knows?

The episode envisions a timeline in which Martin Luther King, Jr, is not assassinated. The results aren’t perfect, however, and the episode shows widespread social unrest at some point in the future, at the end. In that ending, a massive crowd is seen outside of the White House gates protesting.

It’s not clear whether Oprah will take the plunge and actually run for President in 2020, although some in her inner circle have told reporters recently that she is “actively” thinking about the possibility. Many believe she would be a strong contender for the Democratic nomination, given her familiarity with the party’s donors, and her popularity among Americans.

Still, some Democratic pundits aren’t sure that responding to Mr Trump’s presidency with their own, politically untested celebrity is the smartest thing to do. Instead, those individuals insist that Democrats should turn to a seasoned politician, with well established ideas for how to change the country.

Either way, Ms Winfrey isn't the only individual to have had their political fortunes foretold (or not) in a cartoon. Mr Trump's election was once foretold in an episode of "The Simpsons", a coincidence that led the creators and writers of the show to dedicate an opening sequence to Bart Simpson writing "being right sucks" repeatedly in chalk on a classroom chalkboard.

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