Claims credit for birtherism: 'I got Obama to release his birth certificate' despite it being racist conspiracy

More than two years after President Obama released his long-form birth certificate in April 2011, Trump tweeted claiming credit for the release and defending his birther conspiracy theory. He tweeted 'Why are people upset w/ me over Pres Obama's birth certificate? I got him to release it, or whatever it was, when nobody else could!' and 'People should be proud of the fact that I got Obama to release his birth certificate.' The tweets showed Trump continuing to promote the racist conspiracy theory that questioned Obama's citizenship and legitimacy as president, positioning himself as proud of his role in the birther movement rather than apologizing for spreading disinformation.

"Why are people upset w/ me over Pres Obama's birth certificate? I got him to release it, or whatever it was, when nobody else could!" — Tweet, August 22, 2013