Malik Obama's Dig At Barack Signals There's No Hope For Reconciliation After Trump Endorsement
Barack Obama has eight half-siblings, and the closeness of his relationships with them varies. Unfortunately, based on recent social media posts, Barack's tumultuous relationship with his older half-brother Malik doesn't show any signs of resolution. On September 3, 2024, Malik posted a vintage photo from a 1990 trip to Boston with him and Barack smiling together. "Fake A** when we were brothers," Malik wrote on X (formerly Twitter). The following day, he posted an additional statement solidifying how far apart he and his brother are in their ideologies, asserting, "I'm a registered Republican and I'm voting for President Donald Trump."
Years ago, Malik and Barack had a tight bond. The two half-brothers got to know each other as adults in the mid-1980s after Barack reached out to him. Malik later credited himself for encouraging Barack to visit Kenya in 1988. As further evidence of their closeness, the brothers served as best men at each of their weddings. However, things got complicated around the time Barack became president. They had a disagreement involving Malik's creation of "The Barack H. Obama" foundation, which is named after their father Barack Sr. The organization's website carries a disclaimer stating it "is not dependent on the endorsement of his brother, President Barack Obama."
Fake Ass when we were brothers pic.twitter.com/ViwRRl8El7
— Malik Obama (@ObamaMalik) September 3, 2024
There were additional signs of distance throughout Obama's presidency, such as when Malik indicated he didn't really have a connection with Michelle, Malia, or Sasha Obama. Malik also struggled both with the negative attention he received and a desire to be recognized for his own merits.
Malik's support for Trump is intertwined with his beef with Barack
Malik Obama has both U.S. and Kenyan citizenship, and Barack Obama's brother has been an outspoken fan of Donald Trump since the 2016 election. That year, in recognition of his support, Trump even invited Malik to be a guest at one of the presidential debates.
Another sign of conflict between Malik and Barack has been Malik's contributions to the false narrative that Barack wasn't born in the United States, a rumor that Trump has also endorsed. In 2017 and 2020, Malik posted a fake birth certificate that claimed his brother was born in Kenya. To add to the confusion, Malik also shared a picture of their father's passport in 2023. Months later, some X (formerly Twitter) users continued to repost and incorrectly interpret the info as evidence to support this untrue rumor.
Like Trump, Malik knows what it's like to lose an election. In 2013, he ran for Governor of Siaya, Kenya, and lost. At the time, Malik was displeased with his brother's lack of support. "The whole campaign, he didn't give me a call," Malik informed GQ. Over the years, Malik continued to accuse Barack of being self-centered and noted that his feelings played into his decision to endorse Trump. "[I'm] 110% still with Trump," Malik explained to the New York Post in 2020. "He's not fake. He tells us the way he sees it. He's bold and fearless and he's tough."