White House releases Obama's birth certificate
(CNN) - President Obama released his original birth certificate Wednesday, saying the controversy surrounding the issue had become a "sideshow."
“We do not have time for this kind of silliness. We’ve got better stuff to do," said Obama.
The surprise release follows recent and sustained remarks by businessman Donald Trump, among others, that raised doubts as to whether the president was born in the United States.
“Over the last two and half years, I have watched with amusement. I have been puzzled with the degree with which this thing just kept going,” Obama told reporters Wednesday.
Responding to the development, Trump said, "I have accomplished something nobody else has accomplished."
"I want to look at it, but I hope it’s true," he told reporters in New Hampshire. "He should have done it a long time ago. I am really honored to have played such a big role in hopefully getting rid of this issue."
Earlier Wednesday, White House Communications Director Dan Pfeiffer said the debate has been "really bad for the Republican Party."
The so-called "birther" debate is "good politics" but "bad for the country," said Pfeiffer.
In an interview with CNN's Anderson Cooper Monday, Trump repeated his doubts and said he had been told the certificate was "missing."
A new CNN investigation revealed earlier this week what most analysts have been saying since the "birther" controversy erupted during the 2008 presidential campaign: Obama was born in Hawaii on August 4, 1961.
While the president has made light of the controversy, the question remained political red meat for some of his critics. A recent CNN/Opinion Research Corp. poll showed that nearly 75% of Americans believe Obama was definitely or probably born in the United States. More than four in 10 Republicans, however, believe he probably or definitely was not born in America.
See Obama's Certification of Live Birth
The U.S. Constitution says only "natural born" citizens can become president - a vague clause that some members of the birther movement contend disqualifies Obama because, they insist, he was born outside the United States.
Skeptics contend, among other things, that Obama was born in his father's home country of Kenya.
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SHAME ON TRUMP!
This just reinforces that Trump will do anything to feed his appetite for publicity. Donald Trump is now PROUD that he caused the president to waste his valuable time responding to him and all of the other morons who thought that the original birth certificate did not exist. Even the most casual observer of this non issue saw that the OFFICIAL birth certificate (available on Obama's site since before the election) was based on the original and is the only CERTIFIED certificate provided by the state of Hawaii. So why would someone of Trump's stature not be able to see these simple logical facts? Some say it is his seeking publicity and others say that he is racist while others say that he is just a moron. I say that it is "all of the above." This display of trump's "carnival barking" just reinforces the opinion that he is just a narcicistic and racist moron who was lucky enough to have a wealthy father and who used that wealth plus the US Bankruptcy process to multiply it to the billions he now has. And instead of using his wealth for positive and productive endeavors, he chooses to waste his and the country’s time and energy bloating his considerable ego. I hope he does run for president just so that we can see Obama’s intelligence juxtaposed to Trump’s idiocy and lunacy.
are you kidding me? we have much bigger problems in this country whether Mr. Obama was born in the United states or not. He was elected he has served 2 + years of a 4 year term give it up already. How about trying to get the other jack asses out of office who have ruined this country and sold it to the highest bidder and made the American Dream an American Nightmare.
All of you birthers need to go back in your mother's basement and put more tin foil on your heads....morons!!!!!!
I was born in 1965. All the birth certificates from the 60's look very old, type was done on a typewriter not a computer and the paper did not have the computerized water marks that you see on Obama's certificate. My children's birth cert. from the 90's are on that paper but not the older certificates. The Obama birth cert. looks way too NEW. I challenge other Americans born in the 60's to look at their certificates (it must be the original with the raised seal that you can feel). Look at the paper and the type. Your copy will be a copy of the original certificate kept at the county clerks office and it wouldn't look New. I am very concerned that our government is trying to pull a fast one. Trump is right to look into this and he better look long and hard!
We have wasted so much effort, time and money on this guy. This is what hapens when you get elected because you are black. WE NEED TO GET RID OF THIS FOOL YESTERDAY!
This country is full of dopey people. He presented the birth certificate and you're still babbling on about nothing. Meanwhile you dopes are being lead by a couple of oil billionares(the Koch brothers) who could care less about the american dream or the enivironment. I feel like I'm getting dumber just reading this tomfoolery. Ron Paul2012
This is just so sad and how twisted the Republicans have become. They tried everything they could to bring Bill Clinton down, without success and so far this is the only thing they could think of to bring Barack Obama down. Don't worry all of you drama kings and queens–the GOP isn't done yet. They don't know how to work well with people who think differently than them and don't know what compromise means. So they'll find some other way to try to discredit him. And that's why our country is in such a mess!
Just signed up for facebook so that I could respond. How is it that no one questioned what Crooked Chaney did to become VP. He switched his state of residence from Texas to a summer home in Montana or Idaho so he could run, because the President and VP can not legally come from the same state. Eventhough that is where he spent the majority of the year. Outrageous, but no one complained. Just one of many quick shifty moves. ......Also, Obama is an American. Get over it!
I would hope this shuts up the doubters but it won't. That right wing part of our country won't believe it unless Fox News says the issue is over! The President supplied the LEGAL copy required at the time he ran for president. Most of us never see our "original certificate" as they are locked up in the town or city vaults. Donald Trump only accomplished showing he is ignorant. Let's see if Trump releases his tax records as promised....
Now the dumb Americans are jobless. Unbelievable !
Scrolling through these comments, it's mainly bashing conservatives, republicans, and the tea party. This is just pathetic. He didn't show is birth certificate, and until he did, he wasn't qualified to be president. It's not a race issue. Quit using that as an excuse to dismiss the stupid things he's done.
I'd also like to know how this makes republicans look bad. He did not provide something he had to provide. So, sticking with the constitution is only for idiots now? Yeah, there was a big deal over this. If he was a republican, democrats would make the same big deal over it, if not more of one.
The fact he produced it now, doesn't make us look like idiots, just finally shows a little proof. Remember 2nd grade? You had a friend saying something ridiculous? Say, your friend said he could fly. Okay, prove it, right? He never did. He kept refusing to prove it. Well, naturally, you wouldn't believe him! This is that same situation. He claimed he had it, but never showed it, and kept refusing to prove it. Naturally, you should doubt it. He's shown it, problem solved. But that doesn't help his case, and put republicans to shame. It just means he finally did something, he was supposed to do 2 1/2 years ago.
There is a war going on, Soldiers steady dying and getting wounded, families are hungry, unemployment is up, and all these simple minded a-holes can focus on is where this man was born? It's damn ridiculous!! Leave the man alone about stupid stuff and focus on getting our country back in order!!
The President of the United States is still a black man. As long as that's true, the nutters will dispute his legitimacy.
Now President Obama can say to the birthers:
KISS MY B.A.!
That just has to be fake. It has to be! If it's legit, then what the hell are we gonna complain about now?
I like Obama's strategy... He took his time and waited until every dimwit and mental defective jumped on this 'birther' issue; and then he pulls out the original document.
Brilliant... In one felt swoop, he makes them all look like a bunch of morons!
This controversy should have and could have been nipped in the bud if only Obama had presented the documentation when he ran for office like all the others. He didn't so I blame Obama as the cause of the controversy and finally when he realized the question would not go away he decided to deal with it rather than continue the charade. He is the only one to blame in all of this all he had to do was provide the document and he had the staff which could have and did do it for him. Go Figure!
It's sad we live in a country where a man is forced to show his birth certificate because he is different in skin complexion compared to the 43 people prior who have led the same position. High volume of ignorance to say the least. This man is trying to fix issues this country hasn't seen since 1930 and people still attempt to villify him. Last time I checked, Obama didn't start two wars, give tax breaks to companines outsourcing jobs to China, give tax breaks for the rich, ignore our economy while fighting two wars, increase spending on prisons while cutting education, the list goes on. As a child my mother often told me as a black man I would have to work twice as hard as others and I would be viewed under a larger microscope because of the complexion of my skin. Either she's a psychic or America as she knew it has not changed in the racist ignorance that still exists.
I'm glad that Hillary can finally stop with this birther argument. Funny how most libs dont know where this all started.
Obama is AFRICAN.
Obama is African American.
I never knew there were soooo many completely ignorant people in this country. Do you take the time to speak before you type? Do you read what you typed before you hit "send?" Some of you posting comments here sound like you have never read a book in your lives. Perhaps you should educate yourselves a bit before commenting on things that are obviously above your level of understanding. And further....for those of you who so stupidly keep saying, "Where is it?".....Open your eyes and notice the link to take you to the document!
This will not satisfy those nut cases who still think President Obama was not born in this country. They will now claim it is a forgery and those that don't say that will now agitate for the release of his college transcripts. Donald Trump is an idiot and an opportunist. The rest of the people who believe this are just simply deluded and can't get over the fact that an African American man was elected to the White House. Sad, very sad.
I am so happy for president Obama.
Give me a day and I'll produce one that says he's from Mars. Someone tell him it doesn't take four years for ink to dry.