Former President Barack Obama has broken his silence after Donald Trump accused him of trying to rig both the 2016 and 2020 elections. Trump leveled the dramatic claims during an Oval Office press event, notably while avoiding questions about the death of Jeffrey Epstein.
In a sharp rebuttal, Obama’s team dismissed the allegations as “a weak attempt at distraction,” suggesting Trump’s remarks were a calculated move to deflect attention from his own mounting controversies.
Obama’s spokesperson, Patrick Rodenbush, blasted the accusations as “constant nonsense and misinformation,” calling Trump’s remarks “so ludicrous they deserve a response.” He noted that while the former president typically avoids commenting out of respect for the office, these claims crossed a line. The unusually direct statement signaled just how seriously Obama’s team is taking the matter.
Rodenbush also addressed related allegations made by former congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard, who accused Obama-era officials of a “treasonous conspiracy.” He dismissed her claims outright, reaffirming that no credible evidence exists to contradict the widely accepted conclusion: Russia interfered in the 2016 election—but did not alter any votes.
To reinforce this, Rodenbush pointed to the bipartisan 2020 Senate Intelligence Committee report, led by then-Chairman Marco Rubio, which confirmed that although Russia attempted to influence the outcome, there was no manipulation of actual vote tallies. The report directly undermines Trump’s narrative of election sabotage.
Trump’s controversial remarks came during a meeting with Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., where he veered off-topic to declare—without evidence—that “Obama has been caught directly,” and accused him of treason and foreign interference.
Meanwhile, backlash continues to grow after U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi blocked the release of more Epstein-related documents. Critics from both sides of the aisle—MAGA loyalists and Obama supporters alike—suggest Trump’s incendiary accusations are a calculated attempt to deflect scrutiny away from his ties to Epstein and mounting legal troubles.