Fact Check: Did Trump offer to admit that he lied about Obama's birth?
WASHINGTON, DC: A rumor is circulating on social media platforms claiming that President Donald Trump has offered to admit that he lied for years about the birth of former President Barack Obama. The claim has sparked questions and speculation, with many asking for evidence to support the viral rumor, prompting a fact-check.
Claim: Donald Trump to admit he lied about Barack Obama
The claim emerged after a post on X went viral, which stated, “BREAKING: Donald Trump has reportedly offered to admit he knowingly lied for years about the Obama Birther conspiracy in exchange for Obama agreeing not to also run for a third term against him in 2028.”
The post has garnered hundreds of thousands of likes, with comments indicating that many believe the claim to be true.
Although a third presidential run is not allowed in the United States, many responding to the post appear to be intrigued by Trump offering to admit that he lied about Obama’s birth, a conspiracy theory circulating for years to discredit the Democrat’s presidency.
Fact Check: False, the claim originated as satire
The claim, however, is false, as there are no such reports where the president has offered to admit that he lied for years about the birth of the former president.
There are no official remarks, statements, or social media posts from the president or his administration that support the claim.
A search on Google for the claim yielded no relevant reports by prominent news media outlets, which, if true, would have been widely covered.
Additionally, the claim was posted by the account called The Halfway Post, which describes itself in the bio as ‘satire.’
Donald Trump jokes about running for a fourth term
The claim surfaced after Trump joked about running for a fourth term during his speech at the rescheduled White House Correspondents’ Dinner on Friday.
"I'm pleased to announce my intention to, and this is somewhat of a scoop, my intention to run for a fourth term as president of the United States. I will be doing that," Trump told the audience before adding, "It should be easy. I'm getting very good at running for president.”
He then repeated the claim about his election victories, saying, "Now I won three times. Did very well the second time, by the way. It's a rigged election, but we'll have to talk about it."
Earlier, he joked about a possible third term, saying, "Just like my presidency, the second time is always better. And the third time will be better yet," before adding, "I'm only kidding."
