Trump’s White House Renovations Fulfill Obama’s Prediction, Kind Of
In 2011, President Barack Obama mocked Donald Trump, which may have inspired the then-reality show star and real estate mogul to run for president and leave his own mark on the White House.
Obama’s 2011 Remarks
During the annual White House correspondents’ dinner in April 2011, Obama ridiculed Trump’s repeated and false claims that Obama was not born in the United States, a conspiracy Trump used to question Obama’s eligibility for the presidency. These attacks helped Trump become a leading Republican contender for the 2012 nomination.
The Satirical Prediction
Obama jokingly predicted that if Trump were elected, he would make some changes at the White House. He highlighted a satirical image shown to the guests, depicting a remodeled White House with large purple lettering reading “Trump” and “The White House,” followed by words like “hotel,” “casino,” and “golf course.”
Obama’s ridicule of Trump that evening has been credited with inspiring Trump to run for president in 2016.
Political Humor and Its Impact
In my book, The Art of the Political Putdown, I use Obama’s chiding of Trump at the correspondents’ dinner to illustrate how politicians leverage humor to assert dominance over rivals. Obama’s mockery publicly humiliated Trump, who initially dropped the birther conspiracy before reviving it later.
Summary: Obama’s humorous jab at Trump in 2011, mocking his birther claims and imagining a privatized White House, arguably motivated Trump’s presidential ambitions and shaped his approach to politics.