In NH, Trump takes credit for Obama birth info
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Donald Trump, a possible 2012 presidential candidate, talks to
reporters after arriving at the Pease International Tradeport Wednesday,
April 27, 2011 in Portsmouth, N.H. Trump said he was "very proud" to
have forced the White House's decision to release President Barack
Obama's birth certificate.
(AP Photo/Jim Cole) | | | |
DOVER, N.H.—After weeks of suggesting Barack Obama was born in Africa, Donald Trump hastened to boast that he had forced the Democratic president to release a detailed Hawaii birth certificate disproving that claim, painting an apparent setback as a victory within minutes of arriving in the first-in-the-nation primary state.
The developer and reality TV show host, who is considering a White House run, again showed the difficulty establishment Republicans are having in controlling the early stages of their wide-open nominating contest. He also proved himself a nimble messenger, or spinner.
"Today I am very proud of myself because I have accomplished something that nobody else has been able to accomplish," Trump told reporters Wednesday shortly after his black and red helicopter, emblazoned "TRUMP" on the side, touched down in Portsmouth.
He arrived not long after the White House released the president's long-form birth certificate from Hawaii. He said he was honored "to have played such a big role in hopefully -- hopefully -- getting rid of this issue.
Now, we have to look at it, we have to see, is it real."
Trumps said he hoped the birth certificate "checks out beautifully," but he used the opportunity before television cameras to again sharply criticized Obama on several fronts, including Libya policy and gasoline prices. He also raised questions anew about Obama's educational record and how he got into college.
But he again offered no proof of anything amiss.
Trump's blistering attacks on Obama -- including raising widely debunked rumors that the president was born abroad -- have piqued the interest of some Republican voters. He has seen his standing in some polls grow in the months since he first dangled a presidential candidacy before a GOP primary electorate looking for a leader to aggressively challenge the Democratic president.
Many rank-and-file Republicans still dismiss Trump as a non-serious distraction.
But as he easily grabs headlines, other potential candidates are playing a more cautious game, and most don't seem eager to talk about him. They've been distancing themselves from the so-called "birther" claims in recent days, and most weren't eager to weigh in Wednesday.
Sarah Palin, the former Alaska governor, sent a brief tweet that said: "Media: admit it, Trump forced the issue. Now, don't let the WH distract you w/the birth crt from what Bernanke says today. Stay focused, eh?" That was a reference to Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke's news conference.
And former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney said on Twitter: "What President Obama should really be releasing is a jobs plan."
Less than a year before Iowa and New Hampshire Republicans become the first to vote in the race, the GOP field is far from set. There's no true front-runner and no single establishment candidate. That leaves ample room for attention-getting events by less orthodox politicians such as Trump and third-term Rep. Michele Bachmann of Minnesota.
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