Obama Issues Rare Public Rebuke, Dismisses Trump’s ‘Treason’ Allegations as Absurd

Former President Barack Obama’s office responded sharply to recent remarks from Donald Trump accusing Obama of orchestrating a conspiracy to manipulate the 2016 election—calling them “bizarre,” “ridiculous,” and a deliberate distraction.

What We Know:

• Trump, during a July 22, 2025 press meeting, revived claims that Obama committed “treason” by allegedly trying to rig the 2016 election—based on intelligence documents released by DNI Tulsi Gabbard.
• Obama spokesperson Patrick Rodenbush labeled the allegations “outrageous,” “bizarre,” “ridiculous” and “a weak attempt at distraction,” noting the Obama team typically doesn’t dignify misinformation but made an exception here.
• Rodenbush reaffirmed that multiple credible investigations, including Robert Mueller’s 2019 report and a 2020 bipartisan Senate Intelligence Committee review, concluded Russia interfered in 2016—but no vote manipulation occurred.
• Trump shifted focus to these claims amid growing scrutiny over his handling of Jeffrey Epstein-related investigations and the Justice Department’s outreach to Ghislaine Maxwell. 
•  Trump announced new trade and military agreements with the Philippines and brushed off Epstein questions—calling them a “witch hunt.”

Obama’s office responded forcefully to dismiss the accusations as baseless smokescreens, reiterating that no credible evidence has ever indicated the 2016 election was rigged by domestic actors.