A Spokesperson for Obama Called Trump’s Claim “A Weak Attempt at a Distraction”
President Donald Trump’s war on his political rivals escalated this week with a false, inflammatory claim—and a fake video. Trump accused former President Barack Obama of treason in connection to the 2016 and 2020 elections, and posted an AI-generated video depicting Obama being arrested in the Oval Office.
The video, posted to Truth Social Sunday night, opens with a montage of real clips featuring Democrats saying, “No one is above the law,” before cutting to a fabricated scene of Obama being taken away by FBI agents. Trump sits grinning across from him as the Village People’s “Y.M.C.A.” plays in the background—a song frequently used at Trump rallies. The video appeared to originate from TikTok before being reshared by the president.
Obama’s office declined to comment on the video.
Obama’s Office Responds to Treason Allegation
Though they typically avoid reacting to Trump’s frequent attacks, Obama’s team issued a rare statement in response to Trump’s treason accusations.
“Out of respect for the office of the presidency, our office does not normally dignify the constant nonsense and misinformation flowing out of this White House with a response. But these claims are outrageous enough to merit one,” said spokesperson Patrick Rodenbush.
“These bizarre allegations are ridiculous and a weak attempt at distraction.”
Gabbard Fuels Claims With DOJ Referral
Trump’s renewed attacks came after Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard submitted a criminal referral to the Department of Justice, claiming Obama administration officials suppressed intelligence related to Russian election interference. Gabbard asserted that a 2016 intelligence brief—which concluded Russia did not impact vote tallies—was removed before reaching the president.
But Obama never claimed Russia changed votes. In 2016, he stated:
“There was not the kind of tampering with the voting process that was of concern … the votes that were cast were counted — they were counted appropriately.”
Investigations Contradict Trump’s Narrative
Multiple investigations—including Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s probe, the bipartisan Senate Intelligence Committee report, and a review by Special Counsel John Durham—have found that while Russia interfered in the election to help Trump, there was no vote manipulation or criminal conspiracy by Obama-era officials.
“Russia’s goal … was to assist the Trump Campaign,” the Senate report stated. “Candidate Trump and his Campaign responded … by embracing, encouraging, and exploiting the Russian effort.”
Democrats Call It a Diversion
Democratic leaders blasted the accusations as an attempt to deflect from Trump’s growing controversies, particularly backlash surrounding his ties to Jeffrey Epstein.
“They’ll release anything if it buys them another day or two to not talk about Epstein,” said Rep. Pete Aguilar.
Trump continues to post AI-generated mug shots of Democratic officials and amplify unfounded conspiracies about election interference and “deep state” sabotage—all while praising Gabbard’s efforts to criminalize former officials.
