Earlier this month, President Donald Trump used his Truth Social account to reshare a post about former President Barack Obama.
The post repeated an old claim alleging that Obama had earned $40 million in “royalties” since launching the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare) in 2010.
The message Trump boosted read:
“#BREAKING: DOGE halts yearly payment of $2.5 million to Barack Obama for ‘royalties linked to Obamacare.’”
Trump added a simple caption: “WOW!”
The Affordable Care Act—passed in 2010—was designed to reform the U.S. healthcare system and expand access to insurance coverage. It also played a major role in the most recent government shutdown, the longest in U.S. history, as Democrats fought to preserve healthcare subsidies for 24 million Americans before they expired.
Trump has been one of Obamacare’s most vocal critics. Earlier in November, he posted:
“I am recommending to Senate Republicans that the Hundreds of Billions of Dollars currently being sent to money sucking Insurance Companies in order to save the bad Healthcare provided by ObamaCare, BE SENT DIRECTLY TO THE PEOPLE so they can purchase their own, MUCH BETTER, HEALTHCARE—and have money left over.”
Despite his harsh criticism, Trump later told reporters that extending Obamacare subsidies might be necessary temporarily to advance other policy goals, calling the ACA “a disaster.”
The claim that Obama was receiving $2.5 million per year from Obamacare resurfaced again after Trump reposted it on November 30. But the viral claim included no sources—and for good reason.
The story appears to have originated from the Dunning-Kruger Times, a satirical website that is part of the “America’s Last Line of Defense” network—an online group known explicitly for parody and fabricated stories. Its homepage openly states that all of its content is fictional:
“If you believe that it is real, you should have your head examined.”
The “Obamacare royalties” rumor began circulating earlier this year and has been repeatedly debunked.
Christopher Blair, the creator of the America’s Last Line of Defense network, told Reuters:
“The ‘Obamacare Royalties’ storyline is one ALLOD has used successfully for years. The operation thrives on confirmation bias.”
CNN anchor Jake Tapper also dismissed Trump’s repost, sharing a video stating:
“No, President Obama is not receiving royalties for Obamacare, as President Trump suggested earlier today. It’s not true. There’s no evidence. It’s absurd. The rumor started on a parody site called the Dunning-Kruger Times… everything on that website is fiction.”
When asked why Trump chose to share such a claim, a White House spokesperson responded that Obama became wealthy after leaving office, purchasing a luxury property on Martha’s Vineyard. They contrasted this with Trump, saying:
“President Trump is the only modern president who actually lost money while in office because he consistently put everyday Americans first—not special interests.”
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