Story highlights
Donald Trump turns 70 on Tuesday
Comedian Bill Maher once question circumstances of Trump's birth, in a satirical bit
Tuesday is Donald Trump’s 70th birthday – and thanks to comedian Bill Maher, we have proof.
The presumptive Republican presidential nominee was born on June 14, 1946, details confirmed in 2013 when Trump at the HBO host’s prompting made public his own “certification of birth.”
“Attached hereto is a copy of Mr. Trump’s birth certificate, demonstrating that he is the son of Fred Trump, not an orangutan,” Trump’s lawyer wrote by way of introduction.
If the billionaire businessman succeeds in his bid, he would eclipse Ronald Reagan in becoming the oldest human to assume the U.S. presidency. Hillary Clinton, now 68, would be sworn in as a close second.
Supreme Court to act on gun ownership cases
Maher had joked during a January appearance on NBC’s “Tonight Show” that he would give $5 million to a charity of Trump’s choosing if the country’s most famous birther could prove he was not of Simian ancestry. (Trump in a 2012 YouTube video offered the same amount for Obama’s “college record and applications.”)
“The color of (Trump’s) hair and the color of an orange orangutan are only two things in nature of the same color,” Maher told Jay Leno as an image of Trump and an orangutan flashed on screen.
By early February, the challenge was met.
The document showed that Trump was been born in Queens, a borough of New York City, to Mary MacLeod, a Scottish immigrant, and Fred Trump, whose family came to the U.S. from Germany. The baby Donald was, indeed, the son of a human man.
But when Maher failed to make good on his offer, arguing it was satire, Trump sued him.
“It’s never a joke when someone reneges on a commitment that benefits worthy charities,” Trump surrogate and special counsel Michael Cohen told Reuters at the time.
Does it matter if Obama uses the term ‘Islamic terrorism’?
Trump eventually withdrew the suit and last August explained to The Hollywood Reporter that he now likes Maher, “a smart guy” who had not been immediately dismissive of his primary bid.
Trump spokeswoman Hope Hicks told CNN the GOP presumptive presidential nominee will likely mark the the dawn of his eighth decade with family.
He also has a rally in Greensboro, North Carolina, slated for Tuesday night.
Later Tuesday, the Republican Party wished its presumptive presidential nominee a happy birthday on Twitter.
“Happy birthday, @realDonaldTrump!” the party tweeted. “RT to wish our presumptive nominee a happy birthday!”
