Roseanne Defends Her Support For Trump, Dismisses ‘President Oprah’

Roseanne’s back, and she’s just as quotable as ever. During a panel discussion with the press on Monday about her show’s big return to ABC, the actress shared some thoughts on the presidential landscape in which she defended her support for Trump — even though he says “crazy sh**” — and shrugged off the idea of a “President Oprah.”

Reporters at the event were anxious to know just how much Roseanne’s support for Trump would influence the revived show. Though the actress initially let showrunner Bruce Helford frame the show’s politics — which he promised would have “no agenda” and would present a “cross-section of values and beliefs” that would hopefully stir “honest and real” debate — Barr eventually gave the press a few politically charged quotes, as highlighted by The Hollywood Reporter.

Asked if she’d vote for Oprah Winfrey, Barr made clear that she wasn’t as impressed with the media mogul as her peers on the left, saying she thinks she’d be a “better president” than Oprah and suggesting that just because she voted for an unorthodox candidate in Trump, that doesn’t mean she’d back another one.

“I do love Oprah. Of course, I love Oprah like everybody else,” she said. “But you know what? I think it was time for us as a country to shake things up and, you know, try something different.”

When a reporter asked if she’d vote for actress Susan Sarandon, Barr replied, “Actually, I think I’d be a better president than Oprah and Susan Sarandon, probably even President Trump. And I did run in 2012.”

In response to a reporter accusing Trump of being xenophobic, Barr said sharply, “Well, that’s your opinion,” before offering some further comments on her perspective on Trump.

“Well, he says a lot of crazy sh**,” she said, adding, “I’m not a Trump apologist. There are a lot of things he’s said and done that I don’t agree with, just like there are a lot of things Hillary Clinton has said and done that you don’t agree with. Nobody is brainwashed into agreeing with 100 percent of what anybody says.”

THR notes that Barr cited “Haiti” as one of the main reasons she couldn’t back Clinton.

Barr also highlighted the positive momentum of the Trump economy. Citing the “lowest unemployment level” in years, she underscored the importance of job creation, which she described as “a great way to fight racism.”

“I think it’s the time to close ranks, and I would really like to see an end to ‘hatriotism’ in this country,” she said near the end of the discussion.

Partial transcript via THR.

Related: OPRAH FOR PRESIDENT? She’s Considering It. Here Are 5 Reasons She’d Win, And 5 She Wouldn’t.