Trump’s Birther Denial

“President Obama was born in the United States, period.  Now let’s get back to the business of making America great again.”

Not so fast, Donald!  It is not that easy to reverse  course on an issue that you have been so outspoken about for so long.  You have given no indication of the evidence that led you to make the claim that he was not born in the United States.   And you have not given any indication of the evidence that led you to change your mind.

It appears that this statement was issued by Donald Trump only after it became evident to his campaign team that his “birther position” was possibly a liability to his  campaign.  This is just one of many reversals that Donald Trump has made so that he can appear to be a reasonable candidate for which  traditional Republicans can vote.  That may also be the reason he accused Hillary Clinton of being the originator of the birther movement in 2008, although fact-checkers find no evidence for this claim whatsoever,

But he can not walk away from the position so easily.  His constant assault on President Obama’s citizenship was a significant factor in undermining President Obama’s leadership.  The birther issue was used by Trump to question the legitimacy of Obama’s Presidency.  What price, if any, is Trump prepared to pay for the damage that  he has already done?

 

Trump’s Reversal of his “Birther position”

President Barack Obama was born in the United States, period.  Now let’s get back to the business of making America Great again.

Not so fast, Donald! You have not provided any account of the evidence that led you to take the position that President Obama was not born in the United States in the first place.  Nor have you provided any explanation of what has led you to change  your position.  Attributing the origin of “birtherism” to Hillary Clinton’s 2008 campaign may tickle your followers.  But fact-checkers have found absolutely no basis for this claim.  This attribution makes clear that the only reason you have left this position behind is to make your candidacy more appealing to traditional Republicans.

But Candidate Trump can not walk away from this issue so easily.  He has questioned the place of President Obama’s birth for years.  His challenge to Obama’s birthplace has been tied to a challenge to the legitimacy of Obama’s presidency.  It has been one factor among many designed to make that presidency ineffective.  Certainly among Republicans and Trump-followers the perpetual challenge to Obama’s citizenship has contributed to an undermining both of his credibility and leadership.  What price is Donald Trump willing to pay for the damage he has caused, not only to Obama’s presidency, but to our country?