Denounce Trump’s Fake Obama Video, End the Rhetoric

President Trump’s promotion of a fabricated video depicting the “arrest” of former President Obama being arrested is dangerous disinformation. The video is fake, yet Trump shared it to millions of followers, stoking distrust in democratic institutions and fueling partisan hostility. If a political opponent had done the same to him, Trump would have unleashed lawsuits, public attacks, and calls for criminal investigation. This is not harmless, it is an intentional effort to mislead the public and delegitimize political opponents. The consequences of such rhetoric are real. We have seen false narratives, amplified by those in power, inspire harassment, threats, and even violence. From January 6 to targeted attacks on election workers, misinformation erodes public trust and undermines peaceful democratic processes. Leading disinformation scholars warn that normalizing this behavior from a sitting president signals that truth is optional and that political gain outweighs democratic responsibility. This damages America’s credibility at home and abroad. Congress must act now. Publicly and forcefully denounce Trump’s lies, pass measures that hold public officials accountable for knowingly spreading false information, and reaffirm that truth and democracy are inseparable. Silence is complicity. The longer lawmakers allow this rhetoric to go unchecked, the more it becomes the political norm and the more our democracy will erode.