Remember Trump's ridiculous "birther" conspiracy surrounding Barack Obama?
You'd be forgiven if you don't, as it was about twelve or thirteen (hundred) conspiracy theories ago.
When Barack Obama was a candidate for President, Trump perpetuated a racist theory Obama could not be the POTUS [President Of The United States] because he was not born in the United States. Presidential candidates George Romney and Rafael "Ted" Cruz were born in Mexico and Canada, but the same questions of eligibility to be President were not raised about either Republican candidate, even when Trump campaigned against Cruz in 2016.
Both men were eligible to be President because at least one of their parents was a United States citizen. Where they were born was therefore a non-issue.
But the first Black President—whose mother was a United States citizen making his birthplace also immaterial—was hounded by White supremacists who claimed he was born in Kenya—Obama was born in Hawaii—and was a secret Muslim—Obama is a Christian.
One of the most vocal about the birther conspiracy on social media and in TV interviews was Donald Trump and his wife Melania.
Obama took the racist attacks in stride.
At the 2011 White House Correspondents' dinner, Obama roasted Trump for pursuance of this conspiracy theory.
Obama's proclivity for cleverly roasting people—rather than the childish name-calling employed by his successor—was noted by Trevor Noah. He asked Obama why the recipients of his roasts (Donald Trump, Kanye West, etc...) have a tendency to then run for President.
Noah said to Obama:
"You roasted Donald Trump, he ran for president, you roasted Kanye West, he ran for president."
"So, I don't know if you've noticed, but you have an ability to inspire people to run for the highest office in the land with some of the jokes you tell about them."
With a chuckle, Obama replied:
"I should roast people I admire more. I'll start roasting you, man. Who knows?"
Referencing the birther conspiracy Trump eventually acknowledged was a lie but failed to apologize for, Obama said Noah wasn't born in the US so couldn't run for President, but:
"I was able to get away with it, so...."
Trump's base and the President himself have since made similar false birther claims about Vice President-elect Kamala Harris.
CNN's Abby Phillip referenced the theory when Trump was defeated by Joe Biden in the 2020 Presidential election, saying:
"Donald Trump's political career began with the racist birther lie, it may very well end with a Black woman in the White House."
The full-cycle irony of this birther lie is not lost on the country.
Sometimes, people roast themselves.
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