(CNN) – President Obama released his original birth certificate Wednesday, saying the controversy surrounding the issue had become a “sideshow.”
The surprise release follows recent and sustained remarks by businessman Donald Trump, among others, that raised doubts as to whether the president was born in the United States.
“Over the last two and half years, I have watched with amusement. I have been puzzled with the degree with which this thing just kept going,” Obama told reporters Wednesday.
“We are not going to be able to solve are problems if we get distracted by side shows.” he added.
