President Donald Trump shared a fake statement on social media this week, wrongly attributing explosive claims about Barack Obama to Senator John Kennedy. The Louisiana Republican confirmed on Monday that the quotes had nothing to do with him, dismissing the story as something he saw “floating around on the internet.”
Donald Trump shares fake quotes attributed to Sen. John Kennedy
On Tuesday, Donald Trump posted a screenshot on Truth Social that came from another user’s account. The screenshot claimed Senator Kennedy was “publicly demanding that Barack Hussein Obama return $120 million that he allegedly earned through ownership related to ‘Obamacare.’”
It went on to say Obama “allocated money under his own laws using taxpayer-generated prestige,” and it quoted Kennedy calling the supposed actions “an abuse of public office and blatant influence.” The post further suggested the senator had set a three-day deadline for Obama to respond or face a referral to the Justice Department for a formal review. The post concluded, showcasing a remark from Kennedy, “There’s nothing ethical or legal about this.”
However, Sen. John Kennedy never said any of it. When a reporter from NOTUS asked him about the post, he replied, “Somebody told me there was something floating around on the internet about me accusing President Obama of stealing $120 million or something.” He added, “I didn’t say that. I don’t know the basis of it.”
The fabricated post has surfaced months after enhanced subsidies under the Affordable Care Act expired, a change that has pushed premiums higher and triggered a huge drop in program enrollment. Trump and his fellow Republicans have stayed critical of the ACA’s effectiveness. They continue to push alternative proposals that would end subsidy payments to insurance companies and instead give Americans money to buy their own health insurance through Health Savings Accounts.
Originally reported by Devanshi Basu on Mandatory.com.
