President Donald Trump is stirring the pot once again, calling for the Department of Justice to go after former President Barack Obama. He claims Obama was the mastermind behind an intelligence report that suggested Russian interference in the 2016 election was meant to help Trump. “After what they did to me, whether it’s right or wrong, it’s time to go after people,” Trump declared in the Oval Office, while hosting Philippine President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr.
According to Trump, Obama was the key player behind the 2016 intelligence assessment, labeling him as the “leader of the gang.” Trump didn’t hold back, saying, “If you look at those papers, they have them stone cold, and it was President Obama… the leader of the gang was President Obama, Barack Hussein Obama. Have you heard of him?” He went on, “It’s criminal at the highest level. It would be President Obama, he started it.”
Trump extended his accusations to include other key figures like Joe Biden, James Comey, James Clapper, and John Brennan, all of whom, he claims, were part of a plot against him. “He’s guilty … This was treason, this was every word you could think of,” Trump insisted. “They tried to steal the election. They tried to obfuscate the election.”
The call for action comes after Tulsi Gabbard, the current Director of National Intelligence, submitted a criminal referral to Attorney General Pam Bondi. The referral accuses Obama of ordering an intelligence report to undermine the legitimacy of Trump’s 2016 victory. Gabbard even released an email suggesting that Obama directed the creation of the post-election intelligence assessment.
The intelligence assessment alleged that Russia interfered in the election to help Trump defeat Hillary Clinton. This led to widespread speculation and investigations into possible collusion between Trump and Russia. Documents included with Gabbard’s referral mention a December 9, 2016 White House meeting, where Clapper’s assistant emailed intelligence leaders about the President’s request to report on Russian actions.
Trump’s first term was overshadowed by investigations by the FBI and Congress into potential coordination with Russia. Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s lengthy investigation ultimately found no evidence of a criminal conspiracy between Trump and Russia. “Look, he’s guilty. It’s not a question,” Trump reiterated about Obama.
🚨BREAKING: President Trump goes scorched earth on Obama saying he committed treason:
“It would be President Obama. And Biden was there with him … the leader of the gang was Obama. Barack Hussein Obama. He's guilty. This is treason.”
pic.twitter.com/xoWOD83mmY— Benny Johnson (@bennyjohnson) July 22, 2025
In front of Marcos, Trump remarked on the situation, saying, “This man has seen some pretty rough countries, but you’ve never seen anything like it.” Marcos’ father, Ferdinand Marcos Sr., was the Philippines’ ruler from 1965 to 1986. Trump also touched on the case of Jeffrey Epstein, briefly addressing reporters’ questions about co-conspirator Ghislaine Maxwell.
Trump urged reporters to focus on more pressing matters, suggesting that Gabbard has more documents ready to be released. “From what Tulsi told me, she’s got thousands of additional documents coming,” he said. He accused Obama of getting his ideas from “crooked Hillary Clinton,” who he claims also played a significant role.
Trump criticized Clinton and her group, stating they spent $12 million on a report by ex-MI6 spy Christopher Steele. According to Trump, the report was a “total fake report” that took two years to debunk. “Probably the only thing I respect about the press in years,” Trump added, “is the press refused to write it before the election.”
Reflecting on his first term, Trump expressed satisfaction that he chose not to pursue charges against Clinton for alleged mishandling of classified information. However, he suggested that this approach might change. “We caught Hillary Clinton. We caught Barack Hussein Obama,” he asserted, listing other individuals he believes are involved.
Trump claimed that Obama, Clinton, Biden, and others were involved in trying to “rig an election.” He accused them of attempting to bury the evidence under “classified information” to avoid scrutiny. Despite their efforts, Trump believes that “it doesn’t work that way.”
“Obama is the ringleader,” Trump emphasized, placing Clinton and Biden as willing accomplices. He cited Comey, Clapper, and others as part of the effort to interfere with the election. Trump’s accusations are clear: they tried to pull off a “coup” and got caught red-handed.
