Republican real estate mogul Donald Trump, who made national headlines in 2012 for flirting with a White House run and aggressively pursuing the truth of President Obama’s place of birth, indicated Sunday he stands by his “birther” views.
“I have no idea still if Mr. Obama was actually born in America,” Mr. Trump told ABC’s Jonathan Karl. “Well, I don’t know. Was there a birth certificate? You tell me. You know, some people say that was not his birth certificate. I’m saying, I don’t know, nobody knows. And you don’t know either, Jonathan. You’re a smart guy. You don’t either.”
Mr. Karl replied, “I’m pretty convinced he was born in the United States.”
Mr. Trump seized on Mr. Karl’s choice of words.
“Pretty! Ah, pretty! Pretty! No, no, you said pretty!” he said.
Mr. Karl then attempted to clarify: “Totally without question that he was born in the United States.”
Mr. Trump responded, “You said [that] you’re pretty convinced. Okay? So let’s just see what happens over time.”
The two then discussed the birthplace of Sen. Ted Cruz, who’s been talked about as a potential GOP frontrunner for the White House in 2016. Mr. Cruz was born in Canada, which would make him ineligible for the office under the provisions of the Constitution.
“If he was born in Canada, perhaps [he can’t run],” Mr. Trump said, on ABC. “But I’m not sure where he was born. … Look, that will be ironed out. I don’t know the circumstances. I heard somebody told me he was born in Canada. That’s really his thing.”
• Cheryl K. Chumley can be reached at cchumley@washingtontimes.com.
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