Obama to youngsters asking about Hawaii: ‘You know more than some people know about where I was born’
Former President Barack Obama appeared on NBC’s “Today” show on Wednesday to promote his new Netflix show on national parks, but he couldn’t help but make a disguised shot at Donald Trump.
He and host Al Roker took local Washington, D.C. children on a scavenger hunt at Virginia’s Great Falls National Park to promote “Our Great National Parks.” Obama mentioned seeing a group of whales migrating in Hawaii at one time.
After one of the children alluded to it being the state where he was born, Obama said, “I was born in Hawaii, yeah … Honolulu. See, you know more than some people know about where I was born.”
Fox News reported that Obama smiled, apparently referring to the controversial “birther” controversy from earlier in his tenure. According to supporters of the hypothesis, he was born outside of the United States and so ineligible to run for president. Obama’s long-form birth certificate was eventually produced in 2011, but Trump continued to doubt its authenticity after that.
At the 2011 White House Correspondents Dinner, Obama and future NBC late-night presenter Seth Meyers famously criticized Trump over the birther dispute and his rumored presidential run.
“No one is happier, no one is prouder to put this birth certificate matter to rest than the Donald,” Obama said at the time. “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?”
Trump successfully ran for president five years later, replacing Obama in the White House, while claiming that revenge for the dinner roast was not on his mind. During the campaign, he claimed that Obama was certainly born in the United States and that the birther theory was started by Hillary Clinton.
“He couldn’t resist,” colleague “Today” host Craig Melvin chuckled as he returned to the studio after the clip aired.
Obama narrated and helped in the production of Netflix’s five-part national parks series, which features parks from all across the world.
