Hillary Clinton started the birther movement
| Hillary Clinton started the birther movement | |
|---|---|
| FALSE | |
| "Hillary Clinton and her 2008 campaign started the conspiracy theory that Barack Obama was not born in the United States." | |
| Domain | Politics & Elections |
| Tactic | False Context |
| Era | Current |
| First seen | 2015 |
| Origin | Statements by Donald Trump and his campaign, notably on September 16, 2016, when Trump acknowledged that Obama was born in the US |
| Last reviewed | 2026-10-29 |
| Further reading: books on Politics & Elections | |
In September 2016, Donald Trump acknowledged that Barack Obama was born in the United States and said that Hillary Clinton's 2008 campaign had started the birther controversy. Fact-checkers found no evidence that Clinton or her campaign started or promoted the claim. It originated with anonymous emails and fringe activists in 2008.
The claim
Trump's campaign pointed to a small number of Clinton supporters who circulated birther emails during the 2008 Democratic primary.
What the evidence shows
- Anonymous origins. The claim spread in chain emails in spring 2008, some sent by supporters of Clinton and some by others.
- Volunteers, not the campaign. In late 2007, two volunteer coordinators in Iowa forwarded an email suggesting Obama was Muslim, a related false rumor; the campaign asked one of them to step down. That rumor concerned Obama's religion, not his birthplace.
- No Clinton role. Clinton never questioned Obama's citizenship, and fact-checkers found no evidence her campaign did.
- Who amplified it. Trump himself became the claim's most prominent promoter from 2011.
See also
Sources
- PolitiFact, "Fact-checking the claim that Hillary Clinton started the birther movement," September 2016.
- FactCheck.org, "Trump's Birther Claims," September 2016.