Donald Trump recently arrogantly decreed to anyone who was still on the edge of their seats that “President Obama was born in the United States — period.” After five years of fanning conspiracy theories about Obama’s birthplace, Trump didn’t offer to share the proof that allowed him to make his proclamation. Voters, who he had encouraged to question our president’s birthplace, even after Obama had produced his confidential long-form birth certificate in 2011, will have to take Trump’s word.

However, voters have good reason to be skeptical of taking Trump at his word. This declaration was preceded by a lie that the birther movement had been started by Hillary Clinton. Trump’s campaign said, “This type of vicious and conniving behavior is straight from the Clinton Playbook.”

According to FactCheck.org and PoltiFact.com, neither Clinton nor her campaign every promoted the birther theory, let alone started it. Both fact-checking organizations conclude that Trump’s assertion is false.

It seems that this type of vicious and conniving behavior is instead one that is from the Trump playbook. Trump promotes conspiracy theories, and then when finally acknowledging their falsehood, he tells another lie by smearing his political rival. That reveals Trump for who he is.

Debra Kantor

Hartland