On Tuesday, President Donald Trump, while welcoming Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. into the Oval Office, openly accused former President Barack Obama of treason. Trump, proclaimed to reporters that Obama had “attempted to steal the 2016 election” by “his” intelligence community investigating Trump’s campaign. His comments came during heightened media attention to newly released documents in the ongoing Jeffrey Epstein litigation.
A few hours later, Obama’s press secretary issued an unusual, strong statement. “In deference to the presidency, our office generally does not respond to the ridiculous things Donald Trump says,” observed Patrick Rodenbush. “But the utter treason and election sabotage claims made against President Obama require some response. These claims are bizarre and are the byproduct of a desperate attempt to shift attention. Disregard them.” He further noted, “Nothing in the document Trump cited undermines the bipartisan conclusion that Russia attempted to interfere in the 2016 presidential election. That was upheld by a Senate Intelligence Committee, lead by then Senator Marco Rubio.”
The claim came mere days after the Trump administration made public over two hundred thousand files from the FBI regarding the surveillance of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. These were supposed to be released in the year twenty twenty-seven. That release also sparked immediate backlash. Civil rights leaders questioned the reason behind the release. Rev. Al Sharpton labeled the release, “a desperate attempt to distract people from the firestorm engulfing Trump over the Epstein files.” King, the daughter of Dr. King, posted online the rebuttal echoing the sentiment of “Now, do the Epstein files.”
The pattern of distraction during times of rising scrutiny has become a defining trademark of public Trump. He has, be it Obama, civil rights era documents, or a multitude of public figures and issues, one by one, used such moments to distract from matters that require addressing.
The sequence stands out. Consider how public attention has shifted from the Epstein case within a single week to the newly released FBI files on Dr. King, and now a sensational charge against President Obama. The timing is striking and the events are unrelated in substance. All together, they highlight a well-known strategy of using important public figures, particularly influencers from the past, to generate attention and manipulate focus. Here, the common factor seems to be distraction.
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