There is evidence to refute the claim that President Barack Obama was not born in Hawaii, and therefore is not eligible to be president of the United States, but “birthers” persist with their claims that Obama is in office illegally. Donald Trump is the latest to question the president’s birthplace.

Former state Health Director Chiyome Fukino has said several times she has personally inspected President Obama’s birth certificate twice. In an interview earlier this month she said claims Obama was not born here are “ludicrous” and “silly.”

Both the Honolulu Star Bulletin and the Honolulu Advertiser ran announcements in August, 1961 saying Mr. and Mrs. Barack Obama had a son on August 4 of that year.

But Trump and others continue to demand Obama make his birth certificate public.

“If he has a birth certificate he should release it,” Trump told NBC News.

Trump exudes confidence. He is so sure of himself he says he may run for president in 2012.

“First of all, my successes, and I think you will attest to this, have been vast,” he told NBC’s Michael Isakoff. “I have built a great company. I’ve done a great job. I’ve put a lot of people to work,” Trump added.

When Isakoff asked Trump if he thinks officials in Hawaii are lying about the birth certificate, Trump answered, “The governor of Hawaii said he was there when he was born. Now do you really believe that the governor of Hawaii was there when he was born? I don’t.”

Hawaii News Now caught up to Governor Neil Abercrombie and asked him to clarify what he meant when he said he was “there.”

“Of course here in Hawaii,” Abercrombie said.

“Not in the room?” we asked.

“Let’s be serious. It is simply reprehensible to have this kind of conversation. Insulting someone’s mother and father speaks about the person who is doing it,” Abercrombie said.

Abercrombie said Trump is questioning Mr. Obama’s birth place because Trump has a political agenda. Abercrombie questioned Trump’s credibility and said Trump has ruined lives by spending investors’ money on failed real estate ventures.

“It is really difficult to accept inquiries from a serial bankrupt like Donald Trump,” Abercrombie said.

As for Obama’s roots in Hawaii, Abercrombie told Hawaii News Now he first laid eyes on baby Barack Obama a few days after he was born. Abercrombie said Obama’s parents introduced their newborn to friends at the University of Hawaii where Abercrombie was going to college with the president’s father.

“We not only saw him and were with them, but were introduced to him of course at our gatherings, our student gatherings. And of course over the years then as he was raised by his mother and his grandparents we of course saw him frequently because he was with his grandfather all the time,” Abercrombie added.

(Source: Hawaii News Now)