WASHINGTON — Donald Trump himself won’t say it, but his campaign is now declaring that the Republican presidential candidate believes now that President Barack Obama was born in the United States. And his campaign is cheering Trump for bringing an end to an “ugly incident” that it blames, without evidence, on Democratic opponent Hillary Clinton.

For many years, Trump was the most prominent proponent of the “birther” movement, which claimed Obama was born outside the U.S. and thus ineligible to be president — despite the fact that he was born in Hawaii. As recently as Thursday, Trump would not acknowledge Obama’s birthplace, declining to address the matter when asked by The Washington Post.

“I’ll answer that question at the right time,” Trump told the paper. “I just don’t want to answer it yet.”

Clinton seized on Trump’s refusal during a speech Thursday night before the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute.

“He was asked one more time where was President Obama born and he still wouldn’t say Hawaii. He still wouldn’t say America,” Clinton said. “This man wants to be our next president? When will he stop this ugliness, this bigotry?”

The answer to her question came hours later when campaign spokesman Jason Miller issued a statement that suggested the question had been settled five years ago — by Trump.

“In 2011, Mr. Trump was finally able to bring this ugly incident to its conclusion by successfully compelling President Obama to release his birth certificate,” Miller said.

Yet Trump repeatedly stoked the issue since Obama released his birth certificate. Trump’s comments speculating on Obama’s birthplace have been seen by many as an attempt to delegitimize the nation’s first black president.