Donald Trump on Tuesday night dodged a post-debate question about whether he really believes President Obama was not born in the United States.
Follwing the CNN Republican presidential debate, MSNBC’s Chris Matthews asked Trump, “Is Donald Trump honest when he says that Barack Obama isn’t a legitimate president?”
“So, I knew you were going to ask me that question,” Trump said in response. “You know what I’ll say? I don’t talk about that anymore.”
“You know the problem with talking about that question?” Trump continued. “If I do answer it, that’s all people want to talk about.”
Trump has previously questioned whether Obama was actually born in Kenya, but has since dropped the issue.
When a MSNBC panelist told Trump on Tuesday night that he’ll have to address the question in the general election, Trump said, “Alright, well then I’ll answer it then.”
Matthews then asked again if Trump really thinks Obama is an illegitimate president, but the real estate mogul again insisted that he didn’t want to answer the question.
“I do think that’s a blemish. I think it’s your original sin,” Matthews told Trump about his birther past. “Because I’m an American, and I think our president should be respected. I think it has a little ethnic aspect to it. I don’t like it. He’s African American, and we’re saying he’s not a real president. I don’t like that. It’s not a good thing about you.”
As Matthews spoke, Trump only said, “I know how you feel,” and, “I understand.”
Watch the clip via MSNBC:
