President Donald Trump made a remarkable demand for an investigation into former President Barack Obama, asserting that Obama had been ‘caught red-handed’ and accused him of ‘treason.’
Trump issued a stunning series of attacks on the two-term Democratic president shortly after being asked yet another question about Jeffrey Epstein.
Trump attempted to shift the focus, frequently referencing a recent report from his Director of National Intelligence. This report claimed that Obama orchestrated a ‘treasonous conspiracy’ to create what Trump persistently refers to as the Russia ‘hoax’ with the intent to undermine him.
In response, intelligence chief Tulsi Gabbard sent multiple criminal recommendations to Pam Bondi’s Justice Department, which is reportedly reviewing these requests.
‘After what they did to me, whether it’s right or wrong, it’s time to go after people,’ Trump said while seated next to Philippine President Ferdinand ‘Bongbong’ Marcos, Jr. in the Oval Office.
Trump was asked who the Justice Department should investigate following the report’s release for a potential criminal referral. He didn’t hesitate to name Obama and top members of his security team.
‘Well, based on what I read, and I read pretty much what you read, it would be President Obama – who started it – and Biden was there with him, and [James] Comey was there, and [James] Clapper, the whole group was there,’ Trump responded.
At another point, Trump said Attorney General Pam Bondi should ‘act’ on the matter – while also indicating it was at her discretion.
‘The Justice Department would have to act. We have a very competent, very good, very loyal to our country person in Pam Bondi – very respected. And she – it’s going to be her decision,’ Trump said.
President Donald Trump meets with Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., in the Oval Office of the White House, Tuesday, July 22, 2025, in Washington. He accused Barack Obama of ‘treason’ during a question-and-answer session with reporters
Trump said Attorney General Pam Bondi should ‘act’ on the matter
His repeated calls to prosecute a wide circle of former Democratic officials come after he posted AI-generated video images of Obama being arrested and thrown in jail wearing an orange jumpsuit.
Trump accused his rivals of organizing a failed ‘coup’ in 2016, when Trump defeated Hillary Clinton and captured the White House.
‘They tried to rig the election and they got caught and there should be really severe consequences,’ he said.
It was one of four criminal trials Trump faced during the campaign, with the January 6 case, his Florida classified documents case, and his New York ‘hush money’ case all going away after he won the election and captured the White House.
Trump has long argued that the FBI counterintelligence probe that began during the 2016 election was the start of a ‘coup’ to prevent him from taking office.
Trump pulled in numerous other targets, including former President Joe Biden, also repeating his false claim that he won the 2020 election despite losing to Biden by 7 million votes.
‘Obama was trying to head a coup,’ Trump said. ‘It was Obama. He headed it up,’ he added, while listing top targets including former FBI Director James Comey, former DNI James Clapper, and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.
Clapper was among the top info officials communicating in emails released by Gabbard in her 114-page report and concluding there wasn’t a threat of Russia ‘directly’ manipulating the vote in 2016.
During his stream of remarks on Tuesday, Trump reached back to the infamous dossier of information provided by ex British intelligence officer Christopher Steele.
AI generated image of Obama being arrested and jailed wearing an orange jump suit that Trump posted to Truth Social over the weekend
Trump accused Democrats of trying to ‘rig’ the 2016 election and called Barack Obama the leader of a ‘coup’ attempt
Trump said the DOJ should target Obama since ‘he started it’
He called the Steele report, which examined a series of Trump campaign ties to Russia, as ‘all lies’ and a ‘fabrication.’ The Robert Mueller report during Trump’s first term found that Russia did interfere in the campaign, but ‘did not find that the Trump campaign, or anyone associated with it, conspired or coordinated with the Russian government in these efforts, despite multiple efforts from Russian-affiliated individuals to assist the Trump campaign.’
Trump has hammered his rivals for what he calls the ‘no collusion’ finding ever since.
During his extended answer, Trump referred to the first black president as ‘the leader of the gang,’ and referred to him by his full name, Barack Hussein Obama. He called Clinton ‘as crooked as a three-dollar bill.
His comments come six months after Trump took office following a campaign where he both vowed ‘retribution’ but also said he would leave it to law enforcement officials to make their own decisions on who to charge.
