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Understandably, many Americans are still highly emotional over the presidential election of Donald Trump and that means that statements from public figures regarding the election are even more highly scrutinized than usual. Oprah Winfrey found this out the hard way last week when she gave her thoughts on President Obama’s and Trump’s first meeting. Many felt her statements sounded like an endorsement for the president-elect and they quickly took to social media to voice their concerns.

45th NAACP Image Awards - Show

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Deciding to address the social media firestorm she found herself in, Winfrey addressed the backlash she received over her Trump comments. While speaking during a Q&A with Ava DuVernay for her documentary film The 13th, Winfrey clarified her remarks. The Huffington Post has her comments on the matter and more.

Via Huffington Post:

During a Q&A between Winfrey and Ava DuVernay after a screening of the documentary “13th,” Oprah addressed the backlash to her tweet, reportedly telling the crowd, “Y’all heard about my tweet problems?” according to Entertainment Weekly. In the discussion, Winfrey expanded upon her initial tweet and acknowledged her mistake in calling for a unified response to an incredibly divisive moment in American history. 

“I couldn’t breathe after the election,” she said. “I was expecting tension, awkwardness, and strain … so when I saw them sitting together, I actually took a picture of the screen that said ‘President-elect Trump honored to meet Obama.’ And President Obama was being so gracious, and I heard Donald Trump say, ‘He’s a good man.’ I heard Donald Trump say, ‘I’m going to be seeking his counsel.’ I literally went [deep breath], ‘I can breathe now.’” 

Winfrey continued, “My mistake, and this is what I know to be true: You can never talk about everybody … Even in your arguments with your husband and your children. Don’t talk about what you should do, what you ought to do — you can only speak for yourself. So what I should have said was, ‘I just took a breath.’” The media icon also admitted that if she could do it again, she’d likely change the hashtag to #CivilityLives instead of #HopeLives because the transition of power was “more civil than I expected it to be.”

Winfrey, who was an unapologetic, vocal supporter of the Obama administration and Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign, is apparently as stunned as many of us by Trump’s win. Yet because social media is tracking what she does, the world will be able to witness how she grapples with the country’s new government and ideological shift.

Check out today’s Top Stories here:

http://hellobeautiful.com/2912265/dwayne-the-rock-johnson-named-2016s-sexiest-man-alive-by-people-magazine/

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Oprah Winfrey Responds To Backlash Over Recent Trump Comments  was originally published on hellobeautiful.com