# Donald Trump is now a birther **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [March 17, 2011, 5:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/donald-trump-is-now-a-birther/575044 "2011-03-17T17:38:57Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 17\ **Page:** 51
**Author:** ![bup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/6bbea6/32.png) [@bup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bup)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2011, 5:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/donald-trump-is-now-a-birther/575044/1001 "2011-05-16T17:28:00Z")
That’s too bad. We really have to work harder to make sure Michelle and Sarah really run. ---
**Author:** ![gonzomax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e8c25b/32.png) [@gonzomax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzomax)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2011, 6:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/donald-trump-is-now-a-birther/575044/1002 "2011-05-16T18:45:44Z")
> [@joebuck20](#): > > Donald Trump is not running for president: > > [http://gawker.com/5802295/donald-trump-officially-ends-his-fake-presidential-candidacy](http://gawker.com/5802295/donald-trump-officially-ends-his-fake-presidential-candidacy) Big fucking surprise. He is a publicity hound. I wonder if he knows how much credibility he flushed with that birther campaign? ---
**Author:** ![waterj2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/858c86/32.png) [@waterj2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/waterj2)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2011, 12:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/donald-trump-is-now-a-birther/575044/1003 "2011-05-18T00:19:40Z")
I’m just going to take a quick trip to the past and quote this so we call all marvel at **Starving Artist** ’s skill at predicting the future. > [@Starving\_Artist](#): > > The thing about geniuses is that they often appear to be doing one thing when they’re really doing something else. > > I have no idea what Trump is up to with all this birther stuff, but you can bet your last dollar that he knows exactly what he’s doing. He may just be creating publicity for his business enterprises, or he may have determined that it’s a good dodge to keep from having to talk about more complex issues, but one way or another you can bet that he’ll come out ahead in some way because of it. Maybe that genius certificate came from the same place as Wile E. Coyote’s. We should see if he can produce the original, long-form, genius certificate. ---
**Author:** ![Starving\_Artist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/aeb1de/32.png) [@Starving\_Artist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Starving_Artist)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2011, 2:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/donald-trump-is-now-a-birther/575044/1004 "2011-05-18T02:18:25Z")
Notice I said that Trump would come out ahead “in some way”. None of us has knowledge as to how Trump’s quasi-campaign has effected his business activities, and it’s quite possible he has benefitted just like he has from previous faux-campaigns. Thus I’m afraid your gloating is both premature and ignorant. ---
**Author:** ![Onomatopoeia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/onomatopoeia/32/4145_2.png) [@Onomatopoeia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Onomatopoeia)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2011, 3:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/donald-trump-is-now-a-birther/575044/1005 "2011-05-18T03:54:20Z")
> [@waterj2](#): > > I’m just going to take a quick trip to the past and quote this so we call all marvel at **Starving Artist** ’s skill at predicting the future. > [@waterj2](#): > > Maybe that genius certificate came from the same place as Wile E. Coyote’s. We should see if he can produce the original, long-form, genius certificate. Maybe I’m missing something, but I don’t see anything **Starving** wrote that was wrong in the passage you quoted. **“The thing about geniuses is that they often appear to be doing one thing when they’re really doing something else.”** It’s debatable how much of a genius Trump is, but one has to admit that Trump must have something going on upstairs to be as successful as he is, even with his multiple bankruptcies. Daddy’s money would have been gone long ago if he didn’t have some penchant for growing it and the Trump brand. **“I have no idea what Trump is up to with all this birther stuff, but you can bet your last dollar that he knows exactly what he’s doing.”** I think **Starving** was on the money here. I think Trump’s birther business was more about promoting Trump and keeping Trump in the eyes and minds of the public that trying to get to the bottom of any birth certificate scandal. **“He may just be creating publicity for his business enterprises”** And in this line, if you’re willing to admit it, **Starving** actually was somewhat prescient as this is exactly what Trump was doing. **“…or he may have determined that it’s a good dodge to keep from having to talk about more complex issues, but one way or another you can bet that he’ll come out ahead in some way because of it.”** Again, **Starving** was right, here. Everyone is talking about Trump. One can almost see the Cheshire-like smiles on the execs at NBC for all the free publicity Trump received over the last two months, which will almost undoubtedly improve the ratings of his show next season. Listen, \*\*Starving \*\*has made many statements that have been rightly and soundly criticized. The post you quoted is simply not a candidate. It gets to the point sometimes where it seems certain posters get ridiculed because of who they are and their known stances on certain topics, than for the points they’ve made in a specific post. That said, with my luck, **Starving** will go on another conservative tirade in a different thread tomorrow that will cause me to wonder if I should have kept my big yap shut. 😃 This post was a hijack. I apologize. ---
**Author:** ![MacCat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/maccat/32/216_2.png) [@MacCat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MacCat)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2011, 11:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/donald-trump-is-now-a-birther/575044/1006 "2011-05-18T11:08:31Z")
> [@Onomatopoeia](#): > > I think Trump’s birther business was more about promoting Trump and keeping Trump in the eyes and minds of the public that trying to get to the bottom of any birth certificate scandal. If he knew the ridicule he would engender, he may not have proceeded. I think his ego has taken a big hit and his innate clownishness has become obvious to so many more people as a result. All publicity good publicity? Not sure he would agree… ---
**Author:** ![42fish](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/4/b487fb/32.png) [@42fish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/42fish)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2011, 4:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/donald-trump-is-now-a-birther/575044/1007 "2011-05-18T16:14:47Z")
> [@MacCat](#): > > All publicity good publicity? Not sure he would agree… When he releases a sex tape, we’ll know he’s gone the “any publicity is good publicity” route. (Wonder if he’ll have a merkin to match his toupee?) ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2011, 3:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/donald-trump-is-now-a-birther/575044/1008 "2011-05-19T03:15:45Z")
DAMN you for putting that image in my mind! ---
**Author:** ![Morgyn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/morgyn/32/3041_2.png) [@Morgyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morgyn)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2011, 5:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/donald-trump-is-now-a-birther/575044/1009 "2011-05-24T05:47:26Z")
Oh, dear. Trump says he’s not happy with the current Republican candidates for President. [He might be back](http://politics.blogs.foxnews.com/2011/05/23/trump-maybe-i-am-running-after-all). At least Garry Trudeau would have an easy way to draw him. ---
**Author:** ![Tom\_Scud](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f08c70/32.png) [@Tom\_Scud](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tom_Scud)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2011, 1:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/donald-trump-is-now-a-birther/575044/1010 "2011-05-24T13:52:28Z")
Wow, he’s like a cut-rate Ross Perot. ---
**Author:** ![wonky](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wonky/32/393_2.png) [@wonky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wonky)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2011, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/donald-trump-is-now-a-birther/575044/1011 "2011-05-24T16:59:15Z")
Everybody’s coming out to play: [ > [@](#): > > The loftiest trial balloon yet from Rudy Giuliani’s camp was hoisted up on Monday night by Rep. Peter King, R-N.Y., who told reporters that the former New York mayor and 2008 candidate was leaning toward mounting a run. > > A 2008 Giuliani aide told Power Play that key members of the old team are “staying loose” in anticipation of a potential run. He said the exploration seemed to have entered “a different phase” and that Giuliani had grown increasingly serious as the Republican field took shape. ]([Giuliani Sees an Opening in 2012 Field | Fox News](http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2011/05/24/giuiani-sees-opening-2012-field/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+foxnews%2Fpolitics+%28Internal+-+Politics+-+Text%29)) ---
**Author:** ![Euphonious\_Polemic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/euphonious_polemic/32/3002_2.png) [@Euphonious\_Polemic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Euphonious_Polemic)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2011, 5:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/donald-trump-is-now-a-birther/575044/1012 "2011-05-24T17:08:15Z")
> [@jsgoddess](#): > > Everybody’s coming out to play: > > [URL=“[Giuliani Sees an Opening in 2012 Field | Fox News](http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2011/05/24/giuiani-sees-opening-2012-field/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+foxnews%2Fpolitics+%28Internal+-+Politics+-+Text%29)”] Do you think he can still get a lot of airtime out of mentioning “9-11” in every other sentence? ---
**Author:** ![wonky](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wonky/32/393_2.png) [@wonky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wonky)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2011, 5:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/donald-trump-is-now-a-birther/575044/1013 "2011-05-24T17:09:27Z")
I put that in the wrong thread. Sorry. ---
**Author:** ![Rhythmdvl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/85f322/32.png) [@Rhythmdvl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhythmdvl)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2011, 8:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/donald-trump-is-now-a-birther/575044/1014 "2011-05-26T20:42:50Z")
Still a Birther: Per a [HuffPost](http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/05/26/donald-trump-obama-birth-certificate_n_867367.html)report on a WND article (WND article is there, but I just can’t bring myself to link directly to it today): > [@](#): > > Donald Trump is inserting himself back into the world of politics, declaring that the White House produced inauthentic documentation of President Barack Obama’s long-form birth certificate last month, according to the conservative website WorldNetDaily. > > … > > After nearly one month of remaining mum on the issue, Trump reportedly told WND that a computer expert assessed the document released by the White House and concluded that it was computer-generated and forged. Now, given that WND has about as much truthiness as BeatBart, my mind is having a bit of a dilemma: is this report on Trump’s position accurate? ---
**Author:** ![The\_Tooth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c67d28/32.png) [@The\_Tooth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Tooth)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2011, 12:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/donald-trump-is-now-a-birther/575044/1015 "2011-05-27T00:56:05Z")
The kerning! Check the kerning! ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2011, 1:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/donald-trump-is-now-a-birther/575044/1016 "2011-05-27T01:32:51Z")
> [@Rhythmdvl](#): > > Still a Birther: > > Per a [HuffPost](http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/05/26/donald-trump-obama-birth-certificate_n_867367.html)report on a WND article (WND article is there, but I just can’t bring myself to link directly to it today): > Now, given that WND has about as much truthiness as BeatBart, my mind is having a bit of a dilemma: is this report on Trump’s position accurate? Sounds like the Donald saw that stupid youtube video where some idiot thinks that OCR layers on the pdf prove that the document was forged. Even Fox News debunked that. ---
**Author:** ![gonzomax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e8c25b/32.png) [@gonzomax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzomax)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2011, 1:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/donald-trump-is-now-a-birther/575044/1017 "2011-05-27T01:43:43Z")
> [@jsgoddess](#): > > Everybody’s coming out to play: > > [URL=“[Giuliani Sees an Opening in 2012 Field | Fox News](http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2011/05/24/giuiani-sees-opening-2012-field/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+foxnews%2Fpolitics+%28Internal+-+Politics+-+Text%29)”] He could buy a parrot and teach it to say 911, squawk squawk 911. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/donald-trump-is-now-a-birther/575044.md?page=50)