White House spokesman Josh Earnest said Wednesday that he doesn’t have any idea why Donald Trump invited President Obama’s estranged half-brother to Wednesday night’s final presidential debate.
“I’m not sure what kind of message they are trying to send,” he said. He said Trump might be trying to get reporters to ask him about Malik Obama, who was born in Kenya and has been critical of Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton.
“I have to admit I really don’t exactly what the intent is of this invitation, other than probably to get you guys to ask me about it,” Earnest said. “But even then I’m not really sure what goal that accomplishes.”
Earnest said he didn’t think Obama has spent much time about his half-brother’s attendance, and when asked about President Obama’s relationship with Malik, he said, “my understanding is that there’s not much of one.”
