Trump embraces 'birther' conspiracy on Kamala

WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump on Thursday breathed life into right wing conspiracy theories about Kamala Harris’ eligibility to run for vice-president, saying he “heard it today that she doesn't meet the requirements” and that he’d “take a look” into the matter.

In an astonishing echo of the ugly birther controversy he amplified for years against former President Barack Obama, suggesting he was not born in the United States, Trump attempted to do the same against Harris, declining to reject rightwing theories about her ineligibility, and instead describing a political hack who wrote a dodgy essay on the subject as a "very highly qualified, very talented lawyer."

In what was purportedly a set-up at the White House briefing, Trump was told about "claims circulating on social media that Kamala Harris is not eligible to be -- to run for Vice President because she was an 'anchor baby'," and asked if he can definitively say whether or not Kamala Harris is eligible and meets the legal requirements to run as Vice President.