Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

WATCH: Barack Obama Makes Birther Joke During Speech

WATCH: Barack Obama Makes Birther Joke During Speech

During a speech at the first Obama Foundation Summit in Chicago on Tuesday, former President Barack Obama cracked a joke poking fun at "birthers" who are convinced that Obama was not born in the United States, and therefore should not have been eligible to be the president.


At one point in his speech, Obama expressed his joy at being back in Chicago, where he started his political career in the 1980s.

"The reason I’m so excited to see you all here today in part is because this is where I started," he told the crowd.

"Now, this isn’t where I was born, I was born in Kenya," he mused. After some laughter, he added: "That’s a joke."

The joke came at the expense of Donald Trump, who spent almost a decade pushing the theory that Obama was born in Kenya, and worked Obama detractors into a frenzy after he demanded that Obama produce a birth certificate that could prove he was indeed born in the United States.

Eventually, in 2011, a "short-form" and "long-form" birth certificate were released to the public, showing that Obama was born in Honolulu, Hawaii in 1961.

During the White House Correspondents' Dinner held later that week, Obama made some jokes at Trump's expense, saying: "Donald Trump is here tonight! Now, I know that he’s taken some flak lately, but no one is happier, no one is prouder to put this birth certificate matter to rest than the Donald. And that’s because he can finally get back to focusing on the issues that matter—like, did we fake the moon landing? What really happened in Roswell? And where are Biggie and Tupac?"

While many birthers have held onto the notion that Obama was born in Kenya and that the birth certificates were fakes, Trump eventually conceded in September of 2016 that Obama was born in the United States.

He has yet to apologize for starting and perpetuating the rumor, however.

Twitter applauded Obama for keeping his sense of humor in tact:

But keeping to their conspiratorial roots, the birthers took the joke as an admission:

Beside the joke, Obama had some other important things to talk about, including the notion that we should strive against partisan politics.

"The moment we're in right now, politics is the tail and not the dog," he said. "And what we need to do is to think about our civic culture. Because what's wrong with our politics is in part is a reflection of something wrong in our civic culture, not just here in the United States, but in many places around the world."

Wise words from a wise man.

Please SHARE this with your friends and family.

H/T: Huffington Post, Twitter, Newsweek

More from People/donald-trump

Screenshot of Georgia voter; Donald Trump
MS NOW; Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images

Georgia Voter Says Trump's Threat To Destroy Iran Is 'Giving War Crime'—And The Internet Has A New Hero

A Georgia voter went viral after telling MS NOW that President Donald Trump's threat to destroy Iran is "giving war crime," reflecting pretty much how the general public feels about Trump's threats to decimate the country's infrastructure.

On Sunday, Trump lashed out at Iran amid growing concerns about tanker traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, a narrow passage at the entrance to the Persian Gulf that carries roughly 20% of the world’s oil supply. Recently, Iran has struck several vessels in the area and warned ships against entering the passage, effectively halting traffic through one of the world’s most crucial energy routes.

Keep ReadingShow less
David Schwimmer (left) speaks out against Ye (right) as the rapper faces renewed backlash amid his attempted comeback.
Bruce Glikas/WireImage; Arnold Jerocki/Getty Images

David Schwimmer Slams 'Hate-Mongering Bigot' Ye For Trying To Make A Comeback After His Antisemitic Rants

As Ye continues pushing for a comeback after months of fallout tied to antisemitic remarks and disturbing praise of Adolf Hitler, actor David Schwimmer made it clear he was not ready to move on.

Ye's renewed comeback unraveled quickly, as sponsors pulled out of London’s Wireless Festival even before the United Kingdom government barred him from entering the country, ultimately leading to the event’s cancellation on Tuesday.

Keep ReadingShow less
Screenshot of Megyn Kelly; Donald Trump
The Megyn Kelly Show; Alex Brandon/Pool/Getty Images

Megyn Kelly Explains Bonkers Reason She Would Still Vote Republican Even If Trump 'Dropped A Nuke'—And It's A Big Yikes

Former Fox News host turned far-right pundit Megyn Kelly was criticized for her reasoning after declaring that President Donald Trump "could drop a nuke" on Iran and it still wouldn't get her to vote for Democrats.

Kelly spoke on her podcast amid significant concern over remarks Trump made online threatening to decimate Iran's infrastructure if they didn't permit tanker traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, a narrow passage at the entrance to the Persian Gulf that carries roughly 20% of the world’s oil supply.

Keep ReadingShow less
Jake Paul; Druski as Erika Kirk
This Past Weekend w/ Theo Von; @druski/X

Podcaster Jake Paul Slammed Over His Plans To Do Blackface Sketch In Retaliation Against Druski

In a rare moment of clarity, podcaster and sort of boxer Jake Paul thinks conservatives are really dumb for being so mad about Druski's Erika Kirk video! So much so that he plans to do blackface about it. Uh oh...

During an interview with comedian Theo Von on his podcast This Past Weekend w/Theo Von, Paul dragged his fellow Republicans for being so in their feelings about Druski's "hilarious" video.

Keep ReadingShow less
Jennifer Siebel Newsom
@jennifersiebelnewsom/Instagram

Gavin Newsom's Wife Has Stark Warning For MAGA Women Who Still Support Trump—And She's Absolutely Right

Jennifer Siebel Newsom, First Partner of California, shared a message for the women of MAGA in the wake of the firings of Attorney General Pam Bondi and Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem.

The two women were the first Cabinet members of MAGA Republican President Donald Trump’s second administration to get their walking papers.

Keep ReadingShow less