title:  Trump Sticks To Racist Birther Conspiracy Theory, Won’t Admit Obama Born In USA
text: Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump refused to admit that his belief and promotion of the racist and inaccurate birther conspiracy theory was wrong. The candidate doubled down on the false idea that has been promoted by conservatives for almost a decade now in an interview with the Washington Post:In the interview, conducted late Wednesday aboard his private plane as it idled on the tarmac here, Trump suggested he is not eager to change his pitch or his positions even as he works to reach out to minority voters, many of whom are deeply offended by his long-refuted suggestion that Obama is not a U.S. citizen. Trump refused to say whether he believes Obama was born in Hawaii. I ll answer that question at the right time. I just don t want to answer it yet,  Trump said.When asked about claims in the media from campaign manager Kellyanne Conway that he is no longer a birther, Trump told the paper,  It s okay. She s allowed to speak what she thinks. I want to focus on jobs, I want to focus on other things. He added,  I don t talk about it anymore. Trump has been promoting the birther conspiracy since 2011, and has never renounced it in the ensuing 5 years. He is on the verge of 2,000 straight days of supporting the conspiracy.President Barack Obama was born in Honolulu, Hawaii, on August 4, 1961. His birth there has been certified at the federal level when he was first elected to the U.S. Senate in 2004 and when he was elected President of the United States in November 2008.Despite this, as the first black president in U.S. history, conservatives have consistently pushed the idea that Obama is not a natural-born citizen and instead was born in Kenya, where his father is from. The story is completely false, but has been a running theme in conservative politics.Trump was the most prominent and well-known person pushing the conspiracy theory, and even since running for president, has never renounced nor condemned it.Featured image via Flickr