WASHINGTON (AP) – Donald Trump’s campaign is declaring that the Republican presidential candidate believes now that President Barack Obama was born in the United States, though Trump has yet to say that himself.
Advertisement
But the statement also contained several falsehoods that downplayed Trump’s role in the birther movement and made the inaccurate claim that Clinton started the conspiracy theory during her 2008 presidential bid.
Trump’s campaign spokesman said the Republican candidate now believes Obama was born the US, but has been called upon to say so himself.
Later Thursday night, Trump’s campaign released a statement from spokesman Jason Miller saying “Mr. Trump believes that President Obama was born in the United States”.
Miller says Trump ended the “ugly incident” by compelling Obama to release his birth certificate.
Here’s a collection of comments, including a wide variety of tweets, all from Donald Trump, all proving he either was lying when he claimed President Obama’s place of birth was unknown, or he’s lying now claiming he believes Obama was born in America. I finished it. President Barack Obama was born in the United States, period. Someday I’ll write a book.
The issue has not been a factor in the campaign for the November 8 presidential election, but it resurfaced in recent days, taking the focus of Trump’s campaign away from topics such as immigration, trade and the economy, which he has been using to hit Clinton. That never happened by Hillary Clinton.
The campaign also credited Trump for causing Obama to produce his birth certificate. “And we know who Donald is”.
Trump then went on to deny the credibility of Obama’s released birth certificate in the years to follow.
Trump, an outspoken proponent of the so-called “birther” movement, addressed the issue with a short statement at his recently opened Trump International Hotel in Washington.
Obama was born August 4, 1961 in Honolulu, Hawaii.
Clinton herself took to Twitter to attack Trump for his birther history, calling it “racist”, but didn’t address Trump’s claim that she began the birther issue.
But in a tight election race, Trump’s position has become a liability, repulsing black, Hispanic and moderate voters who he needs to win the Oval Office. He said he was planning to “make a big announcement” later in the day at his new Washington hotel. On Twitter, Clinton spokesman Brian Fallon did not address that allegation, but said that acceptance that Obama was born in the US comes up short. As the issue gained more attention, Obama did eventually relent and release the document. “I mean, I have my own theory on Obama”.
Since Trump, in the past, has asserted that the final word on anything only comes from him, the campaign statement is more or less useless unless the candidate clarifies his position himself.
Advertisement
In 2011, amid persistent questions from Trump about his birthplace, Obama submitted a waiver request.
