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Possible presidential candidate Trump doubts Obama was born in Hawaii

Count Donald Trump among the legion of “birthers” who continue to question whether President Barack Obama was born in Hawaii. 

In an interview today with ABC’s “Good Morning America,” the developer, reality TV star and maybe Republican presidential hopeful said he doubts Obama was born in the United States. 

“Everybody that even gives a hint of being a birther … even a little bit of a hint, like, gee, you know, maybe, just maybe this much of a chance, they label them as an idiot. Let me tell you, I’m a really smart guy,” Trump told GMA.

» Hawaii Business, 2008: “Being Local, Barry and Bryan”
www.hawaiibusiness.com/Hawaii-Business/October-2008/Being-Local-Barry-and-Bryan

» Honolulu Star-Bulletin, 2009: “Third-grade photo captures Obama’s grin”
archives.starbulletin.com/content/20091228_third_grade_photo_captures_obamas_grin

“He grew up and nobody knew him. You know? When you interview people, 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,” he continued. “Nobody ever comes forward. Nobody knows who he is until later in his life. It’s very strange. The whole thing is very strange.”

Obama was born Aug 4, 1961, in Honolulu and notices of his birth appeared in both the Honolulu Star-Bulletin and the Honolulu Advertiser about 10 days later. After questions about his birthplace were raised during the 2008 presidential campaign, the state Department of Health released a certificate of live birth, and the administration of then-Gov. Linda Lingle, a Republican who campaigned for Obama’s opponent, Sen. John McCain, issued a statement “verifying Barack Hussein Obama was born in Hawaii and is a natural-born American citizen.”

However, the assurances did not satisfy so-called “birthers” who contend he was born in Kenya, his father’s homeland, and therefore not eligible to be president.

In 2008, Hawaii Business magazine published a kindergarten class picture from Noelani Elementary School in Manoa that included a young “Barry” Obama. In 2009, the Star-Bulletin published an interview with a former classmate of Obama’s from kindergarten and third grade at Noelani. 

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