Trump Pivots From Obama’s Birth Certificate to College Grades

Well, that didn’t take long.

Now that the White House is passing out copies of President Obama’s long-form birth certificate like they’re flyers for half-priced chicken shwarma, Donald Trump has something new atop his wish list: Obama’s college records.

After first taking credit for forcing Obama’s hand, the reality star/real-estate tycoon told reporters in New Hampshire that he won’t stop digging into Obama’s past despite the press trying to “protect” the president.

“The word is, according to what I’ve read, that he was a terrible student when he went to Occidental,” Trump said. “He then gets to Columbia; he then gets to Harvard. … How do you get into Harvard if you're not a good student? Now, maybe that’s right, or maybe it’s wrong. But I don’t know why he doesn’t release his records.”

What Trump said next, however, makes it more than a little unclear what, exactly, he thinks the release of the records would prove.

“Everyone says he was this great student. Well, if he was, that’s great, and if he wasn’t, that’s great,” he said, later adding. “If he wants to release it that’s fine, and if he doesn’t want to release it that’s fine too.”

Taking Credit

Trump may be moving on from the birth certificate issue—but that doesn’t mean he doesn’t want credit for its release.

“Today, I’m very proud of myself because I accomplished something that nobody else has been able to accomplish,” Trump said at the opening of a New Hampshire press conference. “I want to look at it, but I hope it’s true so that we can get on to much more important matters; so the press can stop asking me questions.”

And what did Sarah Palin have to say about the whole thing? (Come on, we know you were wondering.)

"Media: Admit it. Trump forced the issue. Now, don't let the WH distract you w/the birth crt from what Bernanke says today. Stay focused, eh?" she wrote on Twitter.

But Trump wasn’t the only one looking for a gold star for his efforts.

From a Wednesday WorldNetDaily article (emphasis added):

Joseph Farah, editor and chief executive officer of WND, the only news agency that has waged a relentless investigative campaign on questions swirling around Obama’s eligibility for nearly three years, was elated at the turn of events.

"We're gratified that our work has begun to pay off," he said. "The certificate of live birth is an absolutely vital foundation for determining constitutional eligibility of any president. We look forward to reviewing it like so many other Americans do at this late date. But it is important to remember there are still dozens of other questions concerning this question of eligibility that need to be resolved to assure what has become a very skeptical public concerning Barack Obama’s parentage, his adoption, his citizenship status throughout his life and why he continues to cultivate a culture of secrecy around his life."

Even CNN was looking for some love in a press release (via Politico):

Day after CNN’s Definitive Investigation of birther claims, White House releases President Obama’s original birth certificate.

CNN’s Anderson Cooper summarized the evidence discovered during AC360's investigation into President Obama's birthplace. Gary Tuchman traveled to Hawaii to investigate the birther allegations and to determine whether President Obama was indeed born in Honolulu on Aug. 4th, 1961. This investigation aired Monday and Tuesday on CNN’s AC 360°. Full transcripts from both programs are posted at CNN.com.

**Tune in to CNN at 7 ET tonight—CNN’s John King will sit down with Donald Trump in New Hampshire.**