Trump reveals why he dropped the birther issue

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Donald Trump.

After five years of questioning the veracity of President Barack Obama's birth certificate, Donald Trump is now revealing why he finally acknowledged the commander-in-chief was born in the US. 

In an interview with ABC6/FOX28 news in Toledo, Ohio the GOP presidential nominee explained that he dropped the accusations that Obama was not a US citizen in order to focus on other issues during his campaign. 

"I wanted to get on with the campaign," Trump said on Wednesday. We want to talk about the military. We want to talk about ISIS and get rid of ISIS. We want to talk about bringing jobs back to this area because you've been decimated so we just wanted to get back on the subject of jobs, military, taking care of our vets, etc."

 At a press conference on Friday, Trump reversed his long-standing position on the birther conspiracy - a movement in which he played a prominent role. The real-estate mogul then falsely accused his Democratic rival, Hillary Clinton, of starting the birther movement during her first US presidential campaign in 2008. 

"Hillary Clinton and her campaign of 2008 started the birther controversy," Trump said. "I finished it."

Watch the interview with Trump below: