Tweet
Anyone paid attention to him lately?
Donald Trump's latest stunt: shows his 'birth certificate;' wants Obama to show his, too
By Michael Sheridan
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER
Tuesday, March 29th 2011, 11:04 AM
Donald Trump aims to ride into the White House on the backs of "birthers" and has put up his own birth certificate to prove it.
Except, it's not an "official" one.
The real estate mogul, who conveniently launched his bid for President to coincide with the premiere of the celebrity version of his NBC show, "The Apprentice," has come out full force to attack Obama over his origins.
"It took me one hour to get my birth certificate," Trump told Newsmax, a conservative news website, on Monday. "It's inconceivable that, after four years of questioning, the President still hasn't produced his birth certificate."
The site posted a copy of his "certificate of birth" on the site. However, it is not the New York State version, but merely one provided by Jamaica Hospital in Queens, The Smoking Gun noted.
Trump has managed to seek out publicity and controversy in the past, often at the same time a new season of his reality series premieres.
Trump's hospital-issued certificate of birth.
In September 2010, he made a bid to buy the building that will house a controversial 13-story Islamic center. Opponents were angered that a mosque may be located in the building, only blocks from Ground Zero. The 10th season of the show premiered a week later.
In 2007, Trump got into a heated media tussle with Rosie O'Donnell in the weeks leading up to the show's sixth season.
The supposed wanna-be President began his attack on Obama's birth last week, the same time "The Celebrity Apprentice" premiered.
While the mogul repeatedly insists these are not publicity stunts, he continued his charge Monday to push Obama to produce his birth certificate.
"I'm just asking President Obama to show the public his birth certificate," he told Newsmax. "Why's he making an issue out of this?"
Obama did, in fact, produce an official document in 2008 showing he was born in Hawaii. His passport was also shown in a White House video in 2010, further proving he is an American citizen.
In order to run for President, the Constitution requires candidates to be "natural born" citizens. Obama's mother was an American; his father was Kenyan.
Members of the "birther" movement - an often discredited but still prevalent segment of the Republican Party - have latched onto the issue.
A poll by Public Policy Polling suggested in February that the majority of the GOP does not believe Obama was born in America.
For his part, Obama continues to dismiss the concerns over his birth, often making it the butt of jokes.
In May 2010, he joked at the White House Correspondent's Dinner that "there are few things in life that are harder to find and more important to keep, than love... Well, love and a birth certificate."
While some Republicans, such as Mike Huckabee, have dismissed the "birther" movement, others have pandered to its members' beliefs.
Sen. David Vitter (R-La.) told potential voters in July 2010 that he would support legal efforts to force Obama to produce his birth certificate. The embattled politician hampered by a prostitution scandal later won reelection in November.
Rep. Eric Cantor (R-Va.) stated on "Meet the Press" in January he believes Obama "is a citizen," but refused to criticize birthers for making claims that have often been proven false.
Republicans in several states, including New Hampshire, Ohio and Arizona, have introduced legislation dubbed "birther bills." None of them have passed, with some getting killed in committee.
The bills were designed to require presidential candidates to produce birth certificates in order to get on the state ballots. The measures often died because they were seen simply as direct attacks on Obama and not legitimate legislation.
Donald Trump's latest stunt: shows his 'birth certificate;' wants Obama to show his, too
By Michael Sheridan
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER
Tuesday, March 29th 2011, 11:04 AM
Donald Trump aims to ride into the White House on the backs of "birthers" and has put up his own birth certificate to prove it.
Except, it's not an "official" one.
The real estate mogul, who conveniently launched his bid for President to coincide with the premiere of the celebrity version of his NBC show, "The Apprentice," has come out full force to attack Obama over his origins.
"It took me one hour to get my birth certificate," Trump told Newsmax, a conservative news website, on Monday. "It's inconceivable that, after four years of questioning, the President still hasn't produced his birth certificate."
The site posted a copy of his "certificate of birth" on the site. However, it is not the New York State version, but merely one provided by Jamaica Hospital in Queens, The Smoking Gun noted.
Trump has managed to seek out publicity and controversy in the past, often at the same time a new season of his reality series premieres.
Trump's hospital-issued certificate of birth.
In September 2010, he made a bid to buy the building that will house a controversial 13-story Islamic center. Opponents were angered that a mosque may be located in the building, only blocks from Ground Zero. The 10th season of the show premiered a week later.
In 2007, Trump got into a heated media tussle with Rosie O'Donnell in the weeks leading up to the show's sixth season.
The supposed wanna-be President began his attack on Obama's birth last week, the same time "The Celebrity Apprentice" premiered.
While the mogul repeatedly insists these are not publicity stunts, he continued his charge Monday to push Obama to produce his birth certificate.
"I'm just asking President Obama to show the public his birth certificate," he told Newsmax. "Why's he making an issue out of this?"
Obama did, in fact, produce an official document in 2008 showing he was born in Hawaii. His passport was also shown in a White House video in 2010, further proving he is an American citizen.
In order to run for President, the Constitution requires candidates to be "natural born" citizens. Obama's mother was an American; his father was Kenyan.
Members of the "birther" movement - an often discredited but still prevalent segment of the Republican Party - have latched onto the issue.
A poll by Public Policy Polling suggested in February that the majority of the GOP does not believe Obama was born in America.
For his part, Obama continues to dismiss the concerns over his birth, often making it the butt of jokes.
In May 2010, he joked at the White House Correspondent's Dinner that "there are few things in life that are harder to find and more important to keep, than love... Well, love and a birth certificate."
While some Republicans, such as Mike Huckabee, have dismissed the "birther" movement, others have pandered to its members' beliefs.
Sen. David Vitter (R-La.) told potential voters in July 2010 that he would support legal efforts to force Obama to produce his birth certificate. The embattled politician hampered by a prostitution scandal later won reelection in November.
Rep. Eric Cantor (R-Va.) stated on "Meet the Press" in January he believes Obama "is a citizen," but refused to criticize birthers for making claims that have often been proven false.
Republicans in several states, including New Hampshire, Ohio and Arizona, have introduced legislation dubbed "birther bills." None of them have passed, with some getting killed in committee.
The bills were designed to require presidential candidates to produce birth certificates in order to get on the state ballots. The measures often died because they were seen simply as direct attacks on Obama and not legitimate legislation.
Comment