US election 2024: Donald Trump brands Oprah Winfrey ‘major divider’ as he casts vote in Florida

Donald Trump has branded Oprah Winfrey a "major divider" on election day. Photo / Getty Images / Composite

Former US president Donald Trump has officially cast his vote in the ongoing election - but not before condemning Oprah Winfrey.

The Republican candidate, who is today hoping to secure a second tenure in the White House, briefly spoke with reporters before casting his ballot in Palm Beach, Florida.

Trump, 78, took the opportunity to accuse Winfrey of being a “major divider” following her appearance at Democratic candidate Kamala Harris’ final campaign rally in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on Tuesday (NZT).

The media mogul warned the crowd of Democrats that if Trump came into power for a second time, it was “entirely possible that we will not have the opportunity to ever cast a ballot again” - suggesting the future of America’s democracy was at stake.

“All the anxiety and the fear you’re feeling, you’re feeling that because you sense the danger,” Winfrey, 70, declared at the rally, which hosted a star-studded line-up including Lady Gaga, Ricky Martin, Will.i.am, and Fat Joe.

“And you change that with your vote,” she said. “You are voting for healing over hate.”

Oprah Winfrey speaks at the US Dream Academy's 23rd annual Power of a Dream celebration in Washington, DC. Photo / Getty Images

Addressing her remarks, Trump told reporters: “I think Oprah has become a major divider in our country and she should be ashamed of herself”.

He also castigated Fox News for featuring Winfrey’s speech “all morning long”, adding: “Everybody thinks Fox is so pro-Trump, well, they’re not”.

Trump went on to reiterate his claim that Winfrey had once asked to run as his Vice President, an allegation he first made in 2018.

“I knew Oprah very well, she’s been at Mar-a-Lago [Trump’s Florida resort] many times. You know, we did Roger King’s funeral there,” he said.

“She knows me - she should be ashamed. She wanted to run with me as Vice President, she wrote me a letter, it was in the book.

“And now she’s a divider,” he repeated.

Republican presidential nominee, former U.S. President Donald Trump speaks during a campaign rally at Kinston Regional Jetport in North Carolina. Photo / Getty Images

Trump cast his vote in his signature “Make America Great Again” hat and donned an “I Voted” sticker.

“I’m hearing in Pennsylvania they won’t have an answer until two or three days from now. I think it’s an absolute outrage if that’s the case,” he added to reporters, referring to the hotly contested battleground state that will be critical in determining the election’s winner.

“It won’t be that close. They say I will win the state but it will take a long time to certify it.”

Trump has secured a number of celebrity endorsements from the likes of podcaster Joe Rogan, Hulk Hogan, Dennis Quaid, Jason Aldean, former astronaut Buzz Aldrin (the second person to walk on the moon), and former soccer player Brittany Mahomes, the wife of Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes.

Harris has proved a more popular choice among the music industry and Hollywood at large, receiving endorsements from the likes of Winfrey, Beyonce, Bruce Springsteen, Taylor Swift, Jennifer Aniston, Lady Gaga, Katy Perry, Billie Eilish, and Mick Jagger, who despite being unable to vote, posted to Instagram that “Jagger kids are voting for Kamala”.

The Herald is covering the 2024 US election live - keep up-to-date here.