Politics

Trump accuses Obama of playing ‘reverse psychology’ with media on birtherism [VIDEO]

Jeff Poor Media Reporter
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On the Tuesday broadcast of CNN’s “The Situation Room,” real estate mogul Donald Trump mixed it up with host Wolf Blitzer over whether or not the so-called “birther” issue is a legitimate issue.

“Obama does not like the issue of where he was born,” Trump said. “His own publisher, as you know, using his words, said that he was born in Kenya and he lived in Indonesia. Of course, now he’s denying that, amazingly so.”

“But I’m not here to talk about that,” he said. “I’m here to talk, as you said you would, about jobs, China, what’s going on with respect to China and how they’re ripping this country, what’s going on with respect to OPEC and how the nations of OPEC are laughing at the stupidity of our country. That’s what I’m here to talk about. You know that’s what I’m here to talk about, and I thought that your introduction was highly inappropriate, but that’s okay because I’ve gotten to know you over the years.”

Despite Blitzer’s protests and recent heat he has taken from Republicans over the issue, Trump accused the president of employing “reverse psychology” to make the “birther” issue seem insignificant.

“It’s something that bothers Obama very much,” Trump said. “I tell you, it’s not an issue that he likes talking about, so what he does is uses reverse psychology on people like you so that you report, ‘Oh gee, he’s thrilled with it.’ He does not like that issue because it’s hitting close to home, you know it and he knows it.”

And Trump’s critique did not come without a few jabs at Blitzer, whose network has been struggling with its ratings.

“You won’t report it, Wolf, but many people do not think it was authentic,” Trump said. “His mother was not in the hospital. There are many other things that came out and, frankly, if you would report it accurately, I think you’d probably get better ratings than you’re getting, which are pretty small.”

Trump went on to dismiss the newspaper announcements around the time of the president’s birth, explaining that was a ploy to get government benefits.

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