Days after President Donald Trump posted an AI-generated fake video showing former President Barack Obama’s arrest on his social media platform, the current president pushed conspiracy theories about Obama in the Oval Office on Tuesday, accusing him of treason without providing evidence regarding the 2016 presidential election.
“They tried to rig the election, and they got caught. And there should be very severe consequences for that,” Trump told reporters on Tuesday.
A spokesperson for Obama pushed back on the Trump administration’s claims, saying while they would “not normally dignify the constant nonsense” from the White House with a response, the claims are “outrageous enough to merit one.”
President Donald Trump meets with Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., in the Oval Office of the White House, July 22, 2025, in Washington.
Alex Brandon/AP
“These bizarre allegations are ridiculous and a weak attempt at distraction,” the statement said.
Trump’s comments come after Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard submitted a criminal referral to the Department of Justice threatening the Obama administration.
Obama’s spokesperson said that “nothing in the document issued last week undercuts the widely accepted conclusion that Russia worked to influence the 2016 presidential election but did not successfully manipulate any votes.”
“These findings were affirmed in a 2020 report by the bipartisan Senate Intellignce Committee, led by then-Chairman Marco Rubio,” the Obama spokesperson said on Tuesday.
Asked about the Deputy Attorney Todd Blanche meeting with Ghislaine Maxwell, the convicted associate of deceased sex offender Jeffrey Epstein who was convicted of sex trafficking in 2022, Trump turned to attacks on Obama, calling the former president the “leader of the gang.”
“This was treason. This was every word you can think of. They tried to steal the election. They tried to obfuscate the election. They did things that nobody’s ever even imagined, even in other countries,” Trump said in the Oval Office Tuesday.
The AI-generated fake video reposted on Trump’s social media platform over the weekend showed Obama being arrested in the Oval Office. The video was posted on TikTok before being reposted on Trump’s social media platform on Sunday.
President Barack Obama welcomes President-elect Donald Trump to the White House, Jan. 20, 2017.
Jim Watson/AFP via Getty Images
Trump’s post — and other recent comments — come as critics on both sides of the aisle say the president is attempting to distract from the Epstein files as the administration faces pushback for more transparency regarding the case.
