--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Mr. [Donald] Trump, for five years, you…" description: "\"Mr. [Donald] Trump, for five years, you perpetuated a false claim that the nation's first black president was not a natural-born citizen. You questione..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e32/lester-holt-12826_accepted_mr-donald-trump-for-five-years-you-perpe_1789393.png" --- # Mr. \[Donald\] Trump, for five years, you perpetuated a… ![“Mr. [Donald] Trump, for five years, you perpetuated a false claim that the nation's first black president was not a natural-born citizen. You questioned his legitimacy. In the last couple of weeks, you acknowledged what most Americans have accepted for years: The president was born in the United…” quote by Lester Holt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e32/lester-holt-12826_accepted_mr-donald-trump-for-five-years-you-perpe_1789393.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e32/lester-holt-12826_accepted_mr-donald-trump-for-five-years-you-perpe_1789393.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e32/lester-holt-12826_accepted_mr-donald-trump-for-five-years-you-perpe_1789393.png) > “Mr. \[Donald\] Trump, for five years, you perpetuated a false claim that the nation's first black president was not a natural-born citizen. You questioned his legitimacy. In the last couple of weeks, you acknowledged what most Americans have accepted for years: The president was born in the United States.” [Lester Holt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lester-holt/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The speaker notes that Trump repeatedly denied the legitimacy of the first Black president, later conceding the president’s U.S. birth. **In simple terms:** Trump falsely claimed the president wasn’t born in the U.S., then admitted the truth. Key Takeaway Verify facts before spreading claims. Themes politics truth media literacy leadership Mood critical concerned informed Type journalistic political When to use this quote - election cycles - social media - public speeches - policy debates Key Concepts disinformation fact‑checking public discourse Questions to Reflect On - How does misinformation shape public opinion? - What responsibilities do media have? A Different Perspective Political narratives can be resistant to correction despite evidence. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Couple](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/couple/) [Legitimacy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/legitimacy/) [Nations](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nations/) [President](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/president/) [United states](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/united-states/) [Week](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/week/) ## Related quotes > [Every human being born within the United States of parents not owing allegiance to any foreign sovereignty is in the language of your Constitution…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-bingham/every-human-being-born-within-the-united-states-of-parents-not-owing/) [John Bingham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-bingham/) > [My mother wanted to be president of the United States. She wanted to be the first woman president. She was born in 1924. Instead…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carol-ross-barney/my-mother-wanted-to-be-president-of-the-united-states-she-wanted-to/) [Carol Ross Barney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carol-ross-barney/) > [Therefore every person born within the United States, its territories or districts, whether the parents are citizens or aliens, is a natural born citizen…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-rawle/therefore-every-person-born-within-the-united-states-its-territories/) [William Rawle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-rawle/) > [Yes, there's Montreal, but my real home, where my kids were born, where I became a citizen of this country, is New Jersey.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-brodeur/yes-there-s-montreal-but-my-real-home-where-my-kids-were-born-where-i/) [Martin Brodeur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-brodeur/) > [For more than two generations, my family had never achieved their ambitions. Their talents were unappreciated and unused. They deserved better. They hadn't done…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marco-rubio/for-more-than-two-generations-my-family-had-never-achieved-their/) [Marco Rubio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marco-rubio/) > [That provision in the constitution which requires that the president shall be a native-born citizen (unless he were a citizen of the United States…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/st-george-tucker/that-provision-in-the-constitution-which-requires-that-the-president/) [St. George Tucker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/st-george-tucker/) > [I think that the, Ted Cruz is not even a natural-born citizen, argument will resonate for at least the next few weeks.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geraldo-rivera/i-think-that-the-ted-cruz-is-not-even-a-natural-born-citizen-argument/) [Geraldo Rivera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geraldo-rivera/) > [America never went away during the Trump years, except in Biden's imagination.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miranda-devine/america-never-went-away-during-the-trump-years-except-in-biden-s/) [Miranda Devine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miranda-devine/) > [The United States is and will continue to be the most important country in the world, economically, militarily, intellectually. 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He brought people on his campaign who had ties to the Russians.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-swalwell/donald-trump-for-years-had-been-working-with-the-russians-he-brought/) [Eric Swalwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-swalwell/) > [The press lost credibility with Republicans and independents during the Obama years, setting itself up for the damage that's going to be done during…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ari-fleischer/the-press-lost-credibility-with-republicans-and-independents-during/) [Ari Fleischer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ari-fleischer/) ## More by Lester Holt > [There are two economic realities in America in 2016. 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