Trump re-ups ‘Barack Hussein Obama’ conspiracy when asked about tariffs at economic forum

Amid Obama’s rise, many on the right, including Trump, pushed the baseless ‘birther’ conspiracy theory that he was secretly a Muslim born in Kenya

Former President Donald Trump referred to President Barack Obama by his middle name Hussein when asked about tariffs during an interview at the Economic Club of Chicago on Tuesday.

Trump was speaking to Bloomberg editor-in-chief John Micklethwait when he started to ramble about a variety of subjects, such as the importance of steel production during war times before he began to brag about his record of keeping the US out of armed conflict.

As Trump jumped from one subject to another, Micklethwait sought to bring the subject back to tariffs, saying one of the issues with Trump’s proposed tariff policy is geopolitics. He noted that the former president has received some credit for saying that there’s effectively a cold war with China.

The Bloomberg editor went on to note that the US won the Cold War with the Soviet Union “because it rallied allies to it” but that Trump is suggesting “slamming allies with 20 percent, 30 percent tariffs.”

Micklethwait asked how it would help the US take on China if it turned its allies against itself.

“China thinks we’re a stupid country, a very stupid country,” Trump said. “They can’t believe that somebody finally got wise to them. Not one president, Bush, Obama, Barack Hussein Obama. Have you heard of him? Think of it. Not one president charged China anything.”

Donald Trump speaks during an interview with Bloomberg Editor-in-Chief John Micklethwait at the Economic Club of Chicago, in Chicago, Illinois, on October 15, 2024. Trump emphasized former President Barack Obama’s middle name during the interview (AFP via Getty Images)

Trump has long used Obama’s middle name in an attempt to make him appear un-American.

Amid Obama’s rise, many on the right, including Trump, pushed the baseless “birther” conspiracy theory that he was a Muslim born in Kenya, and thus ineligible to be commander-in-chief.

Earlier in the conversation about tariffs, Trump said: “I was the only president in 82 years that kept you out of a war, except I defeated ISIS, but I inherited that war.”

The former president explained his veering from subject to subject by returning to the concept of “the weave.”

“You have the weave, as long as you end up in the right location at the end,” he said. “We have never been so close to World War III as we are right now with what's going on in Ukraine and Russia and the Middle East.”

“I had no wars in the whole world ... I talked plenty of countries out of wars ... And I knocked out ISIS in a matter of weeks. It was supposed to take four to five years. I did it in a matter of weeks,” he added. “We actually have a great military but we don't know how to use it.”

Obama slammed Trump and some of his supporters as he hit the trail for Vice President Kamala Harris last week.

“I’m sorry, gentlemen, I’ve noticed this, especially with some men who seem to think some of Trump’s behavior — the bullying and the putting people down — is a sign of strength. And I am here to tell you – That is not what real strength is. It never has been,” Obama said in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

“Real strength is about working hard. And carrying a heavy load without complaining. Real strength is about taking responsibility for your actions and telling the truth even when it’s inconvenient,” Obama added. “Real strength is about helping people who need it and standing up for those who can’t always stand up for themselves. That is what we should want for our daughters and our sons, and that is what I want to see in a president of the United States of America.”