Obama campaign accuses Romney of pandering to rightwing 'birther' movement with remark during speech in home state
Mitt Romney was mired in controversy again just days before the Republican convention when he made a joke about the Barack Obama "birther" conspiracy.
Romney, on the campaign trail in his home state Michigan, told a rally near Detroit that no-one had ever asked to see his birth certificate – seen as a reference to conspiracy theorists who claim Obama was not born in the United States.
"I love being home, in this place where Ann and I were raised, where both of us were born," Romney said. "Ann was born in Henry Ford hospital. I was born at Harper hospital. No-one's ever asked to see my birth certificate. They know that this is the place that we were born and raised."
The crowd laughed and cheered.
His comment come after years in which Obama has been dogged by conspiracy theorists such as Donald Trump, who argue that Obama was not born in the US and is therefore not eligible to be president.
Frustrated with the way the theory kept surfacing, the White House eventually released his birth certificate showing he was born in Honolulu, Hawaii, in 1961.
Romney's comment will be marked down, at best, as further evidence of his tendency to make gaffes, or at worst, as an indication that he is seeking to re-ignite the birther controversy.
Kevin Madden, a Romney campaign spokesman, insisted Romney was not intending to align himself with rightwing conspiracy theorists. Madden stressed that the presidential candidate had repeatedly said he believes Obama was born in the US.
Madden added that Romney had not sought to make a link with the birther controversy, only to draw attention to the fact that he was back in his home state.
The Obama campaign jumped on the remark. Ben LaBolt, an Obama campaign spokesman, said: "Throughout this campaign, governor Romney has embraced the most strident voices in his party instead of standing up to them.
"It's one thing to give the stage in Tampa to Donald Trump, Sheriff Arpaio, and Kris Kobach. But Governor Romney's decision to directly enlist himself in the birther movement should give pause to any rational voter across America."