Romney: Obama was born in the United States

Former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney in an interview with CNBC's Larry Kudlow, April 12, 2011.

/ CNBC

Presidential candidate Mitt Romney on Tuesday rejected the notion that President Obama was not born in the United States, emphasizing that "I think the citizenship test has been passed."

The former Massachusetts governor, in an interview with CNBC's Larry Kudlow, said he thought there were legitimate reasons to want Mr. Obama out of the White House - but that "birther"-inspired claims were not credible.

"I think the citizenship test has been passed. I believe the president was born in the United States. There are real reasons to get this guy out of office," Romney said, the day after formally announcing the formation of a presidential exploratory committee.

Despite the fact that disputes over Mr. Obama's citizenship have long since been discredited, the issue has been in the news lately as Donald Trump, the billionaire, reality television star and potential presidential candidate, has made the media rounds espousing his newly-adopted birtherist perspective.

Romney, however, chose to hit Mr. Obama on his economic record rather than his U.S. citizenship.

"Look, when it comes to the economy, the president has been incompetent," Romney t old Kudlow. "He just hasn't done what is necessary to get Americans back to work. You've got roughly 20 million Americans who stopped looking for jobs or can't find work, and that's inexcusable in a nation that's as productive and innovative as this nation."

"Overwhelmingly, his people come from academics and from politics," Romney continued, of the president's staffing choices. "He doesn't...he doesn't have the confidence in the private sector people that you need to give him the help on the economy that he needs."

When asked about the health care reform bill he enacted while serving as governor of Massachusetts, Romney reiterated his standard line of defense on the issue.

"One thing I learned is this, which is that you don't take ideas from a state and try to impose them on a whole nation," he said.

[haplysspriest]

How could Romney of anyone miss this rule reqired to be passed to even be nominated to run for president of the United States of America:

Barack Obama's mother had to have been a citizen of the United States of America for ten years at the time of birth and five of those years had to be since age sixteen. Barack's Obama's mother would have had to be twenty-one years old at the time of Barack Obama's birth. She was only eighteen. This is so simply understood. I can't believe everyone has missed this, including all in those in the goverment that investigated Obama's eligibility. Barack Obama was never even eligible to run for president of the United States of America. It's more like "Duh".

[jjmcgo]

Neither Obama, Romney nor Trump will be our next president. It will be a Republican governor.

[noloyalisti]

You still are an airheaded moron Republi CON who works for the evil, corrupt filthy rich. There is no excuse for being a Republi CON. Idiot!

[crazyname]

I would respect you more if you were. It appears Obama is not a US citizen. why is the media not demanding an end to this, political advantage, something to use agaings conservatives. He had to show one to run for office, where the heck is it, the real one, one the one with a gerber baby face on it. Unless Obama thinks that was his face?

[stusass]

I don't know what infuriates me more - these two-faced dunderheads constantly blaming the Bush administration's financial sellout on Obama, the corporate tools that are giving more and more tax breaks to the rich when that is one of the primary causes of the budget shortfall, or the people that are stupid enough to believe that any of these these fallacies are worthy of consideration.

[andrewjsacks]

You know, the red herring birther business is and always was a joke--and if Barack had been born on Mars he would still be the best one to lead us out of the Republican-caused mess we are in. OBAMA 2012!

[superdem1]

Someone should ask Mitt if he believes that baptizing living people today can redeem the souls of the long dead. If he believes that, it's pretty crazy. I've heard that the Mormons do that all the time, and that's why they have such extensive records on geneology. I heard they have these big tubs and march long lines of people into them believing they are saving people who died centuries ago. I've also heard that Mormons believe they come from a lost tribe of Israel, even though DNA tests prove there is not one drop of Middle Eastern blood in these white people from Europe. Does Mitt believe he is from a lost tribe of Israel ? That is something demonstrably false.

[deerjerkydave]

Mitochondrial DNA analysis shows that haplogroup X is found among a small fraction of Native Americans, even among the remains of natives prior to Columbus. It doesn't prove anything about Mormon claims but saying that blood from the east never mixed with the west prior to Columbus is untrue.

[AOCGUY]

What is really sad is that he felt the need to comment on this at all.

[SVBunderson]

Dumb point. He was specifically asked about it. What is he supposed to say? I refuse to comment on that?

[meboard]

He's toast now... Unless you are firm believer that Obama is from Mars, you'll never get the GOP nod.

[thechooch1]

And this guy believes that the Great Recession never happened? He is trying to blame the Great Recession on our President? Must be nice to have such a selective memory as his. What is next, we didn't have wars in the middle east?