Donald Trump is calling a lot of attention to himself by going the full Orly. I still have no idea whether this is some bizarre way to bring attention to himself. Trump is not doing the “intellectual” birtherism (Kenyan anti-colonialism) but is whole scale cray-cray birther.
Said Trump: “It took me one hour to get my birth certificate. It’s inconceivable that after four years of questioning, the President still hasn’t produced his birth certificate. I’m just asking President Obama to show the public his birth certificate. Why’s he making an issue out of this?”
Political consultant Roger Stone emails Ben Smith: “Personally I think it is brilliant. It’s base building. It gives voice to a concern shared by many on the right.”
It’s brilliant since the Republican base is just as crazy, apparently. This is my favorite part of Trump’s brain dump.
Moreover, Trump’s argument isn’t even internally coherent. First he questions why no doctors or nurses in Hawaii remember Obama’s birth, noting “this is the president of the United States!” (It’s unclear if Trump believes Obama was born the president):
TRUMP: Hey look, you have no doctors that remember. You have no nurses — this is the president of the United States! — that remember. That ad that was placed in the Houston paper — that was placed in the paper days after he was born. So he could have come into the country.
But just moments later, Trump doubts the governor of Hawaii Neil Abercrombie’s recollection of Obama’s birth, noting it was over 50 years ago. Abercrombie has said, “I knew his mom and dad. I was here when he was born.” Trump called for the governor to be “be investigated” for lying about the memory:
TRUMP: You know what I get a kick out of? The governor of Hawaii says, oh I remember when Obama was born. I doubt it! I think this guy should be investigated. He remembers when Obama was born? Give me a break! He’s just trying to do something for his party.
After you stop laughing, remember this is a “brilliant” political move. Making all Americans realize that Republicans are the party of crazy conspiracy theorists is a brilliant move.