MEGYN KELLY (HOST): But on Trump, his Birther movement was racist. He's a national disgrace. He's an international pariah. Colin Powell is a Republican. He says the Republican Party left him a long time ago. But he is more Republican than he's Democrat. Why is that not harmful to Trump? 

CHRIS STIREWALT:  It is. The birther thing continues to be harmful for Trump. Never forget that Trump's position as Republican nominee is owed in part, and probably some large part, to the notoriety that he gained by claiming that the president, or saying he believed that the president probably was not born in the United States and was lying about his nativity. That is something that helped Donald Trump get on the front page and stay there and it will continue to hurt him with a considerable portion. 

 

Previously:

Birtherism: Trump’s Original Sin And The Media’s Latest One

Trump And How The Media's Birther Blind Spot Keeps Getting Bigger

CNN's Corey Lewandowski Revives Trump's Birther Claims That Obama Got In Harvard As Non-Citizen