When Former President Barack Obama's Half-Brother Announced He'd Vote for Donald Trump

The Obama brothers' rivalry once turned out to be in Donald Trump's favor as the 44th United States President Barack Obama's half-brother Malik announced his endorsement for Trump in 2016. In an interview with the New York Post, Malik, who's been a vocal critic of his brother, said he'd back the Republican candidate, citing he "speaks from the heart." 

The now-66-year-old praised the Republican front-runner's MAGA campaign in a call with the outlet from the Kenyan village of Kogelo, "I like Donald Trump because he speaks from the heart. Make America Great Again [MAGA] is a great slogan. I would like to meet (Trump)." The Kenyan resident stated that his disappointment in his brother's administration led him to switch his allegiance. 

Meanwhile, his support for Trump could be seen as a dig at his half-brother's public endorsement of Democrat Hillary Clinton. In his sit-down, he criticized Clinton over her use of a private e-mail server while she served as the secretary of state. The last straw, as Malik shared, came after FBI Director James Comey recommended not prosecuting her for the abovementioned act. 

"She should have known better as the custodian of classified information," critiqued Malik. Additionally, he accused President Obama and Clinton of killing Libyan leader Moammar Khadafy who was among his best friends. "I still feel that getting rid of Khadafy didn't make things any better in Libya. My brother and the secretary of state disappointed me in that regard." 

Meanwhile, he also called himself a Republican, citing his support for Trump's anti-gay philosophy as opposed to his brother who's among the Democrats in favor of same-sex marriages. "I feel like a Republican now because they don't stand for same-sex marriage, and that appeals to me." 

Malik's backing for Trump is as surprising as his dislike for his half-brother Obama because he adheres to no American values, comes from a country of unrest, and has between three to twelve wives, he won't specify how many because when asked, he replied, "That's personal." However, he had been a self-confessed Trump fan and for this reason, the now-78-year-old invited him to the 2016 presidential debate in Las Vegas as an audience. 

The apparent coldness among brothers continued and in 2020, Abon'go Malik Obama, who shares the same father with the 44th president and a different mother, called out his half-brother for abandoning his Kenyan family. He even accused, "[Obama] got rich and became a snob." In his self-published memoir BIG BAD BROTHER FROM KENYA, he made more serious allegations about the ex-president. 

"What I saw was he was the kind of person that wants people to worship him. He needs to be worshiped and I don't do that," Malik said, as per WION. The 435-page book took him 22 years to write and its crux revolves around his relationship with President Obama/his half-brother whom he met in 1985, detailing both good and bad days shared between the brothers.