Obama Team Breaks Silence, Torches Trump’s ‘Coup’ Claims in Blistering Response

A rare and pointed response came this week from former President Barack Obama’s office, targeting both Donald Trump and Senator Marco Rubio over what they called baseless conspiracy theories about the 2016 election.

In a statement issued by Obama spokesperson Patrick Rodenbush, the former president’s team finally responded to Trump’s repeated, false claims that Obama and his administration had somehow orchestrated a “coup” using “manufactured intelligence” to discredit Trump’s presidency. Rodenbush didn’t hold back, calling Trump’s latest comments “outrageous,” “ridiculous,” and “a weak attempt at distraction.”

He noted that Obama’s office usually avoids responding to Trump’s ongoing stream of misinformation “out of respect for the office of the presidency,” but said this instance had gone too far to ignore.

Trump, once again pushing discredited theories, claimed Obama had politicized the intelligence community and used Russian election interference as an excuse to sabotage his presidency. He even told reporters in the Oval Office that Obama should face “consequences,” accusing him of trying to rig the 2016 election.

Rodenbush responded clearly: nothing Trump has said changes the widely accepted conclusion that Russia interfered in the 2016 election — though it didn’t alter actual votes — and that interference did help Trump. That conclusion, Rodenbush emphasized, was reaffirmed by a 2020 bipartisan Senate Intelligence Committee report, which was chaired by none other than Marco Rubio, a key Republican figure. By citing this, Rodenbush not only defended Obama, but subtly called out Rubio for now remaining silent while Trump continues to push narratives that contradict his own committee’s findings.

Trump’s renewed conspiracy push also comes with the help of Tulsi Gabbard, a former Democratic congresswoman and current Trump ally, who has been echoing similar falsehoods. Ned Price, who served on the National Security Council during Obama’s term, told HuffPost that Gabbard is using the conspiracy claims to distract from other serious issues — namely, the Trump administration’s alleged efforts to keep Jeffrey Epstein-related documents under wraps.

“She’s fabricating a scandal as part of a cover-up,” Price said, explaining that Gabbard is deliberately blurring the lines between Russia’s hacking efforts and its influence campaigns, creating confusion to protect Trump from accountability.

Ultimately, the Obama team’s unusually sharp rebuke signals growing frustration with Trump’s nonstop disinformation — and a willingness to step back into the political spotlight when the facts are being blatantly twisted.