Donald Trump finally concedes that President Obama was born in the US after years of promoting conspiracy theory
WASHINGTON _ Donald Trump, who for years has stoked unfounded conspiracies about President Barack Obama's birthplace, said Friday that he is now convinced the president is an American-born citizen.
"President Barack Obama was born in the United States. Period. Now we all want to get back to making America strong and great again." he said, then walked off stage after a 30-minute event consisting mostly of praise for him from veterans and Medal of Honor recipients.
He also incorrectly blamed Hillary Clinton for fueling the birther controversy. No evidence exists that Clinton or her 2008 campaign team, when she ran against Obama in a prolonged fight for the Democratic nomination, did so.
Trump was under increasing pressure to distance himself from the controversy, which helped fuel his rise but also aligned him with white nationalists and alienated many mainstream voters. Trump refused to concede that Obama was a natural-born American as recently as Thursday, and was actively promoting the theory as recently as 2014.
But in his terse statement Friday, Trump did not apologize for the years he spent inflaming the issue or explain how or when he came to change his mind. Instead, he made his statement and abruptly left to take photographers on a tour of his new hotel, ignoring reporters' questions after claiming credit for resolving the problem.
_ Tribune Washington Bureau
