Presented By
Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump attends a campaign event with veterans at the Trump International Hotel on Pennsylvania Ave., NW, on Sept. 16, 2016.
Tom Williams—CQ-Roll Call,Inc./Getty Images

Donald Trump on Friday briefly addressed the “birther” conspiracy—of which he was long one of the most vocal proponents—and acknowledged that President Obama was born in the United States.

At a media event billed as an announcement about his stance on Obama’s birthplace, Trump spent most of the time discussing his new Washington, D.C., hotel and introducing members of the military who are supporting his presidential campaign.

Trump only mentioned the birther issue in about 40 words at the end of his speech, falsely saying that Hillary Clinton started the birther movement in 2008 and that he was the one to end it. There is no evidence that Clinton or her campaign ever pushed the birther argument, and Trump continued to raise questions about Obama’s birth long after Obama’s full birth certificate was released.

Here are Trump’s full remarks:

More Must-Reads From TIME

Write to Katie Reilly at Katie.Reilly@time.com.

You May Also Like
EDIT POST