Spring 2011: Trump joins the movement
Three years later, Trump began pushing the issue in television interviews as he was considering whether to run for president in 2012.
“I have some real doubts,” Trump told
the “Today” show. He claimed to have sent his own investigators to Hawaii, where Obama was born. "I have people that actually have been studying it and they cannot believe what they're finding."
Trump raised another falsehood in an interview with "Good Morning America," suggesting Obama was trying to conceal his religion by withholding his birth certificate. “Maybe it says he's a Muslim,” he said. Obama is Christian.
April 2011: Obama releases his long-form birth certificate
After weeks of Trump stirring the pot, the president
called a White House news conference to release his
long-form birth certificate. Obama called the issue a distraction pushed by “carnival barkers,” an implicit dig at Trump.
In response, Trump bragged about forcing Obama to release the document. He said he was
"very proud” of himself and the birth certificate would have to be examined to ensure it was authentic.
Obama got the last word in this chapter.
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At the White House correspondents dinner, in front of high-ranking lawmakers, top journalists, powerful Washington insiders and Trump himself, Obama skewered him.
"Now he can get back to focusing on the issues that matter,” Obama said while the New York businessman sat in the audience, unsmiling. “Like, did we fake the moon landing? What really happened at Roswell? And where are Biggie and Tupac?"