Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus is dismissing the birther phenomenon within his party’s base — a further sign that the Republican establishment is trying to put some distance between itself and the conspiracy theories still popular on the Tea Party right.
“Trump and the candidates can talk about it all they want, but my position is that the president was born in the United States,” Priebus told reporters at a breakfast hosted by the Christian Science Monitor, CNN reports.
“I don’t think it’s an issue that moves voters,” Priebus added. “It’s an issue in my opinion that I don’t personally get too excited about, because I think the more important question is what’s going on in this country in regards to jobs, to debt, and the deficit and spending. Those are the things that people are worried about. People aren’t worried about these other issues.”