The video: In an interview with Good Morning America on Thursday, Donald Trump said he wasn't sure whether President Obama was born in the United States. (See video below.) "Let me tell you, I'm a really smart guy," Trump said. "I was a really good student at the best school in the country. The reason I have a little doubt [about Obama's origins], just a little, is because he grew up and nobody knew him. It's very strange. The whole thing is very strange." The real-estate impresario, who says he's considering a bid for the presidency, didn't just flirt with birtherism. He also blasted House Speaker John Boehner's crying, Mitt Romney's failure to "resonate" with voters, and Sarah Palin for quitting as Alaska's governor.
The reaction: Trump is merely pandering to birthers, says Doug Mataconis at Outside the Beltway. He just wants to get in good with far-right Republicans who ignore the obvious facts and obsess over make-believe conspiracies regarding Obama's birthplace. Pay no attention to Trump, please, says Alex Pareene at Salon. He's just looking to get free air time and ink to promote his other money-making enterprises. This is a "transparently phony bid for office." See Trump air his supposed suspicions:
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