As President Biden’s sister, Valerie Biden Owens, “endorses” Meghan Markle as a woman she would back for the White House, writer Shakira Peronet asks whether or not the Duchess of Sussex should run for public office. 

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Source: Reuters

Could Meghan Markle run for POTUS? Yes, I think she could. But do I think she should run? That’s a very different question. If I was a friend of Meghan I would want to ask her why she was considering it. After all she’s been through, why would she potentially upheave it all to be in the spotlight of all spotlights? If she was planning on running for President, I would want to know what the real goal was here?

As amazing as the title sounds, how much real change do Presidents make in America? Without backing from the senate they are so often reduced to puppets saying the “right things” but fulfilling little of it of what they came to do. I don’t want to see Meghan overwhelmed by the tabloids (again), having her past dug up and exposed to slander from estranged friends. All Presidents go through this, I remember when Barack Obama was linked to the Taliban, and even George Bush with all the benefits of nepotism, had his IQ often questioned. I believe it will be like this, plus so much more, for Meghan.

If it is a ploy for greatness, to be elevated, to be known and respected, to have power then it will be hard to watch the backlash.

Whether you are team Meghan or not, I think we can all agree that she has left behind a trail of broken relationships and scandal behind her, especially in the UK. Some have defended her and others passionately dislike her for her choices. When we think of Ronald Regan, very few of us remember that he was an actor before he was President. Yet for Meghan, I don’t think her thriving acting career, and being the Brit’s fallen sweetheart, will work out well for her in an election. 

Why put would she put herself through it? If it’s an impact she wants to make, she can do that in many ways without dancing to the beat of The White House. I’m reminded of the passage from Mark 10:42-45: “Whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all. For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” 

If Meghan is going to be the USA’s first female President then I pray she does it with integrity.

If Meghan thinks she is the best woman for the job, and truly believes this is the best way to serve, then I fully support her. I am sure she knows she is in for a ride! But if it is a ploy for greatness, to be elevated, to be known and respected, to have power then it will be hard to watch the backlash. In Philippians 2:3, Paul writes: "Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility, value others above yourselves.”

If Meghan is going to be the USA’s first female President then I pray she does it with integrity. How much of the system she can change, I don’t really know, but I don’t think she will ever be ashamed if all she does is for those she wants to serve. And if not Meghan Markle, then who? Michelle Obama? Though not the President, she had a tremendous impact as First Lady, and perhaps dodged a lot of the bureaucracy that comes with the presidency. But whatever path Meghan does or doesn’t take, I hope she knows her "why" because the path of politics is far from easy.

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