It's as if Donald Trump has just discovered the tea party and the birthers. His increasingly bizarre — and dated — attacks on the President were on full display this morning on The Today Show.
NBC’s Meredith Vieira spoke with the Celebrity Apprentice host about his made-up White House run, Libya and his conspiracy theories on Obama’s birth certificate.
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Please.somebody answer me.....I am under the impression that if one is born of American parents then they are Americans and one does not need to be born in this country to be President. they just need to be an American. Donald Trump is just trying to rile up the Tea Partiers...he is NUTS and I would never respect him as a leader of this country.
John McCain was born in Cuba so does that make him a Cuban or an American? Oh! that's right, he was born in Cuba on a military base. So he wasn't born on American soil - oh, that's right! but a base is American no matter what country it is in! So here's Trump, calling President Obama's mother, and his grandparents who raised him, liars because he actually was born in Hawaii. But since those who were actually there when he was born are now dead, vile Trump mouths off. Yeah, Donald, nice - disrespect the dead, and call them liars, because you are a moronic birther now who dares to call the dead liars and they aren't here to call you out. They were there, Donald, President Obama was born, and raised in Hawaii, first by his mom, they by her parents, his grandparents. The GOP are total radical idiots.
John McCain was born in Panama City...not Cuba
John McCain was born on August 29, 1936 at Coco Solo Naval Air Station in the Panama Canal Zone, to naval officer John S. McCain, Jr.(1911–1981) and Roberta (Wright) McCain (b. 1912). At that time, the Panama Canal was under U.S. control.
But your point is head on....
Lawrence, I have so much respect for you and Maddow but I cannot understand why you insist on dealing with the birthers (even when they have Trump money) on they're terms. Being a man, I understand motherhood only from the sidelines, but even from that vantage point I've noticed that wherever the birth happens the child's mom is almost always close by. Instead of looking for the President's birth certificate, why hasn't someone raised the issue of where his mom was when he was born. Even in 1960 it took a passport and a visa to go to Kenya from the United States. If she was in Hawaii when he entered the birth canal and he arrived in Kenya, then only Christ's birth was more significant.
Actually the current Governor of Hawaii says that he was friends with the President's parents and he was there when he was born. So I guess according to Trump he is a lair too.
Donald Trump is living proof that Teapublicans totally dominate politics in the mentally ill demographic.
If I had wanted to watch a Fox News interview with corporate mogul, Donald Trump, I would have turned on Fox news. Please, you're as articulate and convincing as anyone else I've ever seen, please make your point and get on with the news.
Betty Jo, you are correct. Funny, no one in the GOP thinks their last nominee wasn't qualified on the basis of birth, yet he was born in Panama. Trump has mistaken the quality of popularity for the quality on reasonable intellect and practical knowledge. According to the Constitution and laws of this country being born of only one American parent is good enough to qualify for the office of President regardless of where you are born.
Lawernce, why do you continue to give this idiot airtime. Every time he opens his mouth about the President's birth you are helping him perpetrate the lie. I really didn't not want to watch the whole interview from the Today show. Please no more Trump. He has lost all credibility that he may have had. He has jump the shark so give it a rest and hopefully he'll crawl back into his cave.
I was born in Hawaii, I have birth certificate, it say Certificate of Live birth....it is signed by a certifier and a registrar. It has all my info, my families info and a file number. Donald Trump is full of crap and he is caught in his own lie. My husband has a great idea on how to make some money for the government and please the stupid Republicans. You get Obama's Birth Certificate put it on display under glass in a museum and then charge all those birthers and rich republicans big bucks to see it.
Trump and the GOP don't care about the truth. They don't have any respect for the truth, no respect for country, for the citizens of this country, even our President, and they are only interested in taking over this country to push their own purist, radical agenda. This country is deep do-do if we let them get away with it. Get on the phone, folks, flood Boehner with calls and keep telling them they are being voted out on their butts starting in 2012 and until we are rid of the lot of them so are country can be the best it can and not run roughshod by a bunch of republican hooligans. Get on our phones, please, and keep flooding Boehners office and Cantors office telling them we are getting them out - all of them and putting this country back in charge of those who truly represent us, the people, and we are throwing out these lying sacks who are using us to push their radicalism.
Try getting a passport with a certificate of live birth.
Why would Obama's mother even consider going to Kenya to give birth. Her family had little money. This was her first child. Her husband was in school in Harvard. She'd never met her husband's family. She knew no one in Kenya. They're health care was substandard when compared to the U.S. She'd have been dealing with a mid-wife at best and her parents (her only real family support) were in Hawaii, where she could give birth in a hospital with doctors and nurses and competent access to emergency medical care if needed.
As much as I am a fan or fanatic about the MSNBC line up, NBC, especially the Today Show is a forum for the likes of Donald Trump, Kate Gosslet, the Duggers and the Sister Wives Family. I commend you for challenging your management to set some standards regarding the racist innuendo that Donald Trump is allowed to say whenever he is in front of a camera. His talk is offensive and deliberately provocative. Keep up your pressure, my support is with you for calling his rants as being publicity seeking at its worst.
I'm sorry Lawrence, but why did I have to see that with Donald Trump? Meredith Viera is just not up to the task of interviewing politicians...DONALD TRUMP TRUMPED Meridith and it was painful to watch. There were SO MANY instances when she could have called him on his B.S. and she didn't. She ended up making him look sensible because his so-called "facts" went unchallenged. You need someone very, very knowledgeable about the issues when you're up against a blowhard like that, and Meredith is not that person. I have no idea why you played that in its entirety.
It seems to me that if his (Obama's) mother was an American citizen, then he would automatically be an American citizen as well, no matter where he was born. My neices were both born in Greece of American parents, and they are considered American Citizens. Is my understanding of that wrong? If so, please correct me.
Lawrence: That's the first time I've watched your show and after being subjected to a publicity piece for NBC's morning show and their "highest rated prime time show" via an interminable Beck like Trump showcase, I don't know if I'll bother watching it again. You were good with that congressman from GA. Why don't you and NBC subject Trump to the same kind of calling out. Allowing that blowhard so much time to spout his baloney without confrontation was pathetic. I thought I was watching FOX.
It's amazing that anyone wanting the Republican bid for president has to kiss T-party butt. But I do like the idea of Donald Trump having to kiss ass to be taken seriously by the T-party. Now lets go back to the origins of the Birthers, to someone named Orly Taitz. Since she was born in Russia and did not become a U.S. citizen until 1992, how do we know she is not a Russian plant [or spy like Anna Chapman] who is just working through the Republican Party to disrupt and corrupt the election process. Is Russia manipulating the Right Wing? Is the Donald really a candidate or is he just craving publicity? Can't wait for the first debate.
It's amazing that anyone wanting the Republican bid for president has to kiss T-party butt. But I do like the idea of Donald Trump having to kiss ass to be taken serious by the T-party. Now lets go back to the origins of the Birthers, to someone named Orly Taitz. Since she was born in Russia and did not become a U.S. citizen until 1992, how do we know she is not a Russian plant [or spy like Anna Chapman] who is just working through the Republican Party to disrupt and corrupt the election process. Is Russia manipulating the Right Wing? Is the Donald really a candidate or is he just craving publicity? Can't wait for the first debate.
Please don't give this rich nutcase legitimacy by having him on your program again. He's just looking for attention and publicity. If I wanted to watch this idiot, I would watch his program, which I don't. I will watch almost anything or shut the tv off to avoid looking at or watching him.
I was totally bummed out that I had to watch the whole Trump interview. Why give him any airtime. And you're right Angelina, because Meredith was a lousy interviewer, it almost made him look sensible. The whole segment was just a benefit to Trump and his terrible show.
I was gagged with total disgust during the interview. Meredith got clocked by Trump or should I say chump.I lost respect for both!
Please, stop giving these spectacle morons like Trump a voice.
Lawrence, please do not provide any more publicity to Donald Trump. Let him pay for his own advertising of self. If he runs, he runs! If he is a birther, so be it! I really don't care! All I know is that, if he runs and gets the nomination, this voter will not vote for him!
Everyone is right as Trump is saying this insane stuff because the Tea Party likes to hear it and he is using them and NBC. Trump needs rating for his show and does business deals while making people think he's running for President. Remember how Sarah got people to follow her and that faded out. Think of a hate groups and the people who follow these nuts. We see it all the time because some people can't think for themselves. Most of the Tea Party are receiving Federal Funds of some kind. This group just wants to heard and noticed but really no brains. Most of the people aren't smart enough as their signs show so many misspelled words. We hear them speak and they have no clue as to how the Government works or even what the Constitution says. Michele Bachmann didn't know her US History but the adults cheered her mistakes and the kids corrected her mistakes.
Finally. Thank you Lawrence.
I am so sick of journalists not being tough on Trump. Talking heads on television have been prefacing their coverage of the Trump-birther issue with "He is a great guy, but..." or He has so much to offer in regards to other political issues...?".
He is not a "great guy". A great guy would not fuel racism in this country for the sole purpose of gaining a brand ratings boost nor for (an unlikely) potential presidential run. He is also not a serious candidate. No government experience. No deep knowledge of foreign policy. Journalists, if you are going to continue to treat him like a viable potential candidate, start asking him viable candidate questions.
Birth certificate. China. Birth certificate. China. That's all he knows.
Oh, besides how successful and great he is.
The Morning Joe team - journalists I once held in high regard - has been disappointing.
Journalists: Please stop continuing to kiss Trump's ass.
AGAIN, THANK YOU LAWRENCE!
Obama can put this to rest by showing a real B.C. Two million of our tax dollars have been spent keeping all his transcripts,passport info,citizenship info buried. Were is all the transparency we were promised in his campaign?
Am I the only one who thinks that Trump is warming up to replace Glen Beck on the bizarro channel?
I can't even stand to say the T word. I really believe that if President Obama didn't have a black father, noone would be saying anything about his birth certificate. And, I remember in high school (and I am up there in age) there were thorough investigations on any person who wanted to become president. I suggest DT just ask the FBI. If you can recall, when people want to run for presidency, not all are able. They don't fit the criteria. And, the most important, basic thing investigated is the place of birth.
If you ask me, the man is racist and crazy. Please don't show him on your show anymore. I can't stand to look at him.
I dislike the birther nonsense but if it continues, how do we know that the birth certificate The Donald holds up is really him; there's no photo, no footprint, no DNA. I wonder what his name was before he came across the real Donald Trump's certificate?