'I can't have my birth certificate plastered on my forehead': Barack Obama laughs off poll that shows a fifth of Americans believe he's Muslim
President Barack Obama has blasted a poll which reveals a fifth of Americans believe he is Muslim.
In an interview on NBC Nightly News, the U.S. President blamed the confusion over his religious beliefs on 'a network of misinformation that in a new media era can get churned out there constantly'.
He has also faced persistent accusations that he was not born in the U.S.
'The facts are the facts. I can't spend all my time with my birth certificate plastered on my forehead,' he said.
'If I spend all my time chasing after that, then I wouldn't get much done.'
Mr Obama was responding to a poll released earlier this month by the Pew Research Center which showed that 18 per cent of people believe he is Muslim.
That is an increase on the 11 per cent who said the same in March last year. Just 34 per cent believed he was Christian, down from 48 per cent on 2009.
NBC anchorman Brian Williams asked Mr Obama about conservative commentator Glenn Beck's rally - called 'Restoring Honour' - on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial on Saturday.
Supporters are the rally raised concerns about the economy and terrorism.
Mr Obama said: 'Given the fact that, you know, in none of these situations are you gonna fix things overnight, it's not surprising that somebody like a Mr Beck is able to stir up a certain portion of the country.
'I have no doubt that we are gonna rebound and rebound strong. But when you're in the middle of it, and if you don't have a job right now, it's a tough, tough situation.'
