LESTER HOLT (MODERATOR): Mr. Trump, for five years, you perpetuated a false claim that the nation's first black president was not a natural born citizen. You questioned his legitimacy. In the last couple of weeks you acknowledged what most Americans have accepted for years, the president was born in the United States. Can you tell us what took you so long?



[...]



I just want to get the answer here. The birth certificate was produced in 2011. You continued to tell the story and questioned the president's legitimacy in 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, as recently as January. So, the question is what changed your mind?



DONALD TRUMP: Well, nobody was pressing it. Nobody was caring much about it. I figured you'd ask the question tonight, of course. But nobody was caring much about it, but I was the one that got him to produce the birth certificate and I think I did a good job.



[...]



HOLT: I'm sorry, I'm going to follow up -- I will let you respond to that, because there's a lot there, but we're talking about racial healing in this segment. What do you say to Americans --



TRUMP: Well, I was very -- I say nothing. I say nothing because I was able to get him to produce it. He should have produced it a long time before, I say nothing.

Previously:



Trump Campaign Statement Clashes With Recent Birther Claims Made By Trump And Surrogates To The Media

CNN's Jeffrey Lord Says Moderators Shouldn't Fact Check Because Media Didn't Adopt Trump's Birther Lie



MSNBC's Katy Tur: One Of The Veterans Accompanying Trump At His Birther Event “Was An Original Birther Himself”



Fox’s Doocy Falsely Claims Clinton Began Trump’s Birther Campaign, Despite Previously Tying Birtherism To Trump