Obama Responds to Trump’s Latest Accusation of Treason
In a rare and direct response, former President Barack Obama has addressed recent remarks by Donald Trump, who accused him of committing treason.
At age 79, Trump has frequently launched verbal attacks against rivals, often without presenting evidence. For most of the past decade, Obama, now 63, has refrained from responding. However, Trump’s recent suggestion that Obama tried to rig the 2016 election has sparked a strong rebuttal from the former president’s team.
During a media briefing on July 22 from the Oval Office, Trump claimed—without proof—that Obama and his administration engaged in acts of treason by attempting to manipulate the outcome of the 2016 election. He suggested the previous administration distorted intelligence reports to falsely implicate Russia in election interference.
Although Obama’s administration did publicly state that Russia tried to influence the election, U.S. intelligence agencies concluded that no actual votes were changed as a result.
Trump’s comments coincided with statements from Tulsi Gabbard, the Director of National Intelligence, who accused officials from Obama’s tenure of participating in a “conspiracy” tied to the Russia investigation. Gabbard also indicated plans to refer certain Obama-era officials for potential prosecution.
Russia, on its part, continues to deny any involvement in the 2016 election.
In response, Obama spokesperson Patrick Rodenbush issued a rare public statement condemning the accusations as “absurd” and “desperate.”
“Normally, we don’t respond to the constant stream of misinformation coming from this administration out of respect for the office of the presidency,” Rodenbush stated. “But this baseless claim crosses a line.”
He further cited a bipartisan Senate Intelligence Committee report from 2020, which concluded that Russia did attempt to sway the election in Trump’s favor, working through individuals like Paul Manafort and platforms like WikiLeaks. However, it also reaffirmed that there was no evidence of vote tampering.
The revival of 2016-related claims comes amid growing unease within Trump’s political base, particularly following U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi’s controversial decision to withhold remaining files related to Jeffrey Epstein. Bondi’s claim that there is no existing “client list” contradicted earlier statements, triggering backlash among conservative groups.
The Epstein matter, in fact, took center stage at Turning Point USA’s recent Student Action Summit, where many attendees expressed frustration with the lack of transparency.
