Donald Trump would be willing to spend millions of his own money on a presidential campaign — and has “a little doubt” that President Obama was born in the United States.
“Part of the beauty of me is that I’m very rich,” Trump told ABC’s Good Morning America in an interview that aired today. “So if I need $600 million, I can put up $600 million myself. That’s a huge advantage … over the other candidates.”
“Everybody that even gives a hint of being a birther … they label them as an idiot,” said Trump.
“[Obama] grew up and nobody knew him,” Trump continued. “If ever I got the nomination, if I ever decide to run, you may go back and interview people from my kindergarten. They’ll remember me. Nobody ever comes forward. Nobody knows who he is until later in his life. It’s very strange. The whole thing is very strange.”
Trump’s embrace of the birther movement sets him apart from other GOP contenders who have spurned birther claims. Sarah Palin called conversations about Obama’s birth certificate “annoying” and “distracting” in a Long Island appearance last month, while Tim Pawlenty said “I’m not one who questions the existence of the president’s birth certificate,” during his CPAC speech in mid-February.
Trump also talked about House speaker John Boehner (“I don’t like the crying”) and some of the other 2012 possibilities, including Mitt Romney (“He doesn’t seem to resonate”), Palin (“I think she’s more qualified than Barack Obama was when he became president”), and Mike Huckabee (“I think he’s the kind of guy that maybe could really get some votes”).