Angelina Jolie guest edits Today programme and refuses to rule out presidential run
Could an actor follow a reality star into the world’s most powerful office?
Angelina Jolie guest edited the Today programme on Friday 28th December – and hinted that she may switch her focus to politics in the future.
The Oscar-winning actress was interviewed by regular host Justin Webb and asked whether a presidential bid was in her sights given that former reality star Donald Trump is now in the Oval Office. The 43-year-old refused to rule anything out...
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“Honestly if you asked me 20 years ago I would’ve laughed. I really don’t know,” Jolie explained. “I always say I’ll go where I’m needed, I don’t know if I’m fit for politics, but then I’ve also joked that I don’t know if I have a skeleton left in my closet so I’m pretty open and out there.
“I honestly will do whatever I think can really make change, and right now I am able to work with a UN agency that is the most in the field of all the UN agencies, to do a lot of work directly with the people in need. I’m also able to work with governments and I’m also able to work with militaries, and so I sit in a very interesting place of being able to get a lot done without a title and without it being about myself or my policies.”
She cryptically added, “So for now I’ll sit quiet.”
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When further pushed by Webb as to whether her name would be included in a list of Democrats running for nomination for the next election, Jolie only laughed and said “Thank you.”
Jolie has previously involved herself in a range of charity work, having worked closely with the United Nations over the refugee crisis, human rights and women’s rights. Her work saw her join the Council on Foreign Relations in 2007, while in 2014 she co-chaired the four-day Global Summit on the topic of Ending Sexual Violence in Conflict.
Jolie is one of several guest editors to sit at the helm of the Today Programme over the festive period, with David Dimbleby and Martha Lane Fox also putting their own spin on the format
Jolie is also working alongside the BBC as an executive producer for a new news-based television programme aimed at children.
She explained, "As a mother, I’m just so happy that I can sit with my children and watch and know that they’re getting a real international sense of the world.”
