Apr 28

Written by:
4/28/2011 11:26 AM 

This morning's edition of the LA Times poses this question: "By releasing his birth certificate did President Obama slay the kraken that is Donald Trump, or did he merely embolden him?"

Whether it was Trump's incessant demanding for proof, or a "confluence of dumb events" like the Huffington Post suggests, that led to the release of this document one thing is clear: Trump knows how to use public relations to influence others.

Within an hour of the White House releasing President Obama's "long form" birth certificate Donald Trump held his own press conference taking credit for decision to release the document:

"Today I'm very proud of myself, because I've accomplished something that no one else has been able to accomplish," said Trump on the release of the president's birth certificate, according to NBC News. "I want to look at it, but I hope it's true. ... But he should have done it a long time ago."

Not only did this press conference ensure Trump was mentioned in almost every top tier article that covered the news, it allowed him to influence the initial message distributed throughout the media.

Unfortunately for Trump, it didn't take long for the media to begin questioning his intentions, credibility, morals and even demanding he release his tax returns.

While these issues are a long way from being resolved, both sides can clearly see Trump is a PR genius.