Gayle King Nervously Spins Oprah for President Movement

Gayle King was a loyal Oprah solider Tuesday morning, trying to spin Stedman Graham's comment about a 2020 Oprah run for President ... and she did so with limited success.

Gayle begins by saying Stedman misunderstood the question posed by the L.A. Times and only meant that she'd make a good president. Gayle's co-host, Norah O'Donnell, zeroed in with a true statement -- Stedman's answer was "She would absolutely do it."

The clip is interesting ... Gayle says she talked to her best bud for a long time Monday night, and it sounds like Oprah had her locked and loaded for a spin.

At the very least ... it's clear Oprah's now noodling the idea.