Donald Trump admits Barack Obama was born in the U.S. in seconds-long speech

(Image credit: Mark Wallheiser/Getty Images)

last updated 16 September 2016

Donald Trump, a leading proponent of the falsehood that President Obama was born outside the U.S., admitted Friday that the president is in fact an American citizen. "President Barack Obama was born in the United States, period," Trump said.

The seconds-long speech followed a half-hour preamble of praise from veterans who spoke at the opening of the Trump International Hotel in Washington, D.C. While Trump falsely blamed Hillary Clinton for starting the birther movement during her 2008 presidential campaign, he bragged that he "finished it" by pressing Obama to release his long-form birth certificate, which he did in 2011. Trump did not offer any sort of apology or acknowledgement of the fact that he backed the conspiracy for years.

Trump has implied Obama's birth certificate was a fake as recently as January.

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Jeva Lange was the executive editor at TheWeek.com. She formerly served as The Week's deputy editor and culture critic. She is also a contributor to Screen Slate, and her writing has appeared in The New York Daily News, The Awl, Vice, and Gothamist, among other publications. Jeva lives in New York City. Follow her on Twitter.