{mosads}“They’re trying to make a man whose done a great job look very bad. And they are using deceit, they are using lies and I think Mitt is going to fight back very hard,” Trump said. “You know, they are talking about tax returns — I mean, look, you know this, I’ve been saying it for a very long time, Obama should give his college applications and records.”

White House press secretary Jay Carney was asked about Trump’s call last week, but dismissed the question.

“Right, this is the Donald Trump question. I think he is the one that brings it up the most,” Carney said.

He went on to compare Trump’s request to the reality television star’s frequent contention that the president was not born in the United States.

“It is preposterous,” Carney continued. “This is from a guy who insisted that he didn’t believe the president was born in the United States.

“It is funny, every once in a while, when I sit back in my office and remember all the things that seemed to be the most important issue of the day and there were briefings after briefings where that was the most important issue of the day to the point where we had to solicit the long form of the president’s birth certificate.

“Again, the president’s record on transparency is extremely sound. He has provided the kind of documentation that candidates for president have now, by tradition, provided for 30 years and he believes it is the right thing to do.”