Her comments about the election may have raised some eyebrows back in Britain this week, but the Duchess of Sussex Meghan Markle plans to continue canvassing ahead of November’s U.S. presidential election, and hasn’t ruled out a career in politics—including a possible White House run.
Rumors abound that Meghan could run for president in 2024, and she got the attention of the office’s current occupant, who said in a press conference on Wednesday that he is “not a fan” of the duchess. Donald Trump was responding to a video that she and Prince Harry made to promote Time 100’s list of the most influential people in 2020, in which she declared that November’s election is “the most important election of our lifetime.” But it’s possible that 2024 could be even more important for her personally.
“One of the reasons she was so keen not to give up her American citizenship was so she had the option to go into politics,” said a close friend of the royal. “I think if Meghan and Harry ever gave up their titles she would seriously consider running for president.”
However those working closely with Meghan insist she has no plans to pursue a political career. “While there’s no denying she is interested and engaged in politics as a topic, she harbors no ambition to enter a career in politics herself,” said one well-placed source.
Members of the royal family are expected to be politically neutral, and Prince Harry has always steered clear of politics. Harry and Meghan did not mention any specific candidates in their Time 100 video, but they did emphasize the importance of voting. “Every four years, we’re told the same thing, ‘This is the most important election of our lifetime.’ But this one is,” Meghan said. “When we vote, our values are put into action, and our voices are heard.”
Harry added, “As we approach this November, it’s vital that we reject hate speech, misinformation, and online negativity.”
The comments are said to have sparked concern at Buckingham Palace. Courtiers appeared to distance the royal family from the couple’s comments, issuing a statement saying that “the Duke is not a working member of the royal family” and describing his comments as “made in a personal capacity.”
Even before their comments, there was no love lost between Donald Trump and the duchess. In a 2016 interview with Larry Wilmore she called the then candidate “misogynistic, and so vocal about it,” and when informed of her quotes in 2019 Trump responded, “I didn’t know that she was nasty.” She was notably absent when the president and the first lady visited the U.K. for a state visit in 2019. While Meghan was on maternity leave at the time, Harry was with the other royals when they met with the Trumps and “noticeably hung back” from the group.
When she married into the royal family, Meghan was advised that she would have to tone down her political activism and keep her opinions private. In an interview with Marie Claire in August, the duchess referenced her frustration at having to be silenced and said she would be voting in the forthcoming election. “I know what it’s like to have a voice, and also what it’s like to feel voiceless,” she said. “I also know that so many men and women have put their lives on the line for us to be heard. And that opportunity, that fundamental right, is in our ability to exercise our right to vote and to make all of our voices heard.”
Meghan has been particularly active ahead of this presidential election, cold-calling voters with Gloria Steinem and addressing the When All Women Vote Couch Party, an online event hosted by the nonprofit cofounded by Michelle Obama.
Her biographer Omid Scobie has previously claimed Meghan has set her sights on the White House telling True Royalty’s documentary Meghan for President?, “She has her eyes set on the U.S. presidency. Meghan is the embodiment of the American dream. One day we may see Meghan become president.”
However Andrew Morton, author of Meghan: A Hollywood Princess says the duchess is not thick-skinned enough for the role. “I would state categorically that she has no chance of ever running for president. She would be eaten alive,” He said. “You need the skin of a rhino to run for office especially in America which is an utterly polarized nation. Look what happened to Hillary [Clinton], and she has lived and breathed high-octane politics since college. When Piers Morgan took over from chat show host Larry King and used his show as a platform to attack the gun lobby he was shot down by his domestic audience. Americans don’t want lectures from Brits—royal blood or not. Just as we don’t want lectures from well-meaning Americans.”
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