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
Analysis Feed
AI commentaryTrump's continued promotion of birtherism years after Obama released his birth certificate demonstrated his commitment to the racist conspiracy theory that questioned the first Black president's legitimacy.
The phrase 'or whatever it was' revealed Trump's bad faith - even after claiming credit for the release, he continued to cast doubt on the document's authenticity.
Trump's framing that 'people should be proud' showed his attempt to position racist conspiracy-mongering as a public service rather than recognizing it as harmful disinformation.
This persistent birtherism laid the groundwork for Trump's political brand built on racial grievance and conspiracy theories that would define his 2016 campaign and presidency.