Fact check: Have there been any official statements from the Trump or Obama families regarding this rumor?

1. Summary of the results

Based on the analyses provided, both the Trump and Obama families have issued official statements regarding various rumors, though the specific rumors differ:

Trump Family Statements:

• Melania Trump's office issued a statement refuting rumors that Barron Trump applied to Harvard ^[1]
• Donald Trump also addressed these college application rumors, stating that he never applied to Harvard ^[1]
• Regarding citizenship conspiracy theories, Trump eventually admitted that Obama was born in the United States, reversing his previous "birther" claims while attempting to blame Hillary Clinton for originating the conspiracy theory ^[2]

Obama Family Statements:

• Both Barack and Michelle Obama have directly addressed divorce rumors on Michelle's podcast, explicitly denying any thoughts of divorce ^[3]
• Michelle Obama acknowledged a rough patch in their marriage but confirmed she never thought about divorce ^[4]
• The couple used humor to address the speculation, with reports indicating they joked about the divorce rumors, saying "it was touch and go for a while" ^[3]

2. Missing context/alternative viewpoints

The original question lacks specificity about which rumor is being referenced, leading to confusion in the search results. The analyses reveal multiple distinct rumors affecting both families:

• College application rumors specifically targeting Barron Trump and Harvard ^[1]
• Divorce rumors surrounding the Obama marriage ^{[3] [5] [4]}
• Citizenship conspiracy theories promoted by Trump against Obama, documented extensively as "birther" claims ^{[6] [2]}

Media outlets and political opponents benefit from perpetuating these rumors as they generate clicks, engagement, and can be used to damage reputations. The Trump family's response to college rumors suggests they view such speculation as harmful to their privacy, while the Obama family's candid discussion of divorce rumors demonstrates their strategy of addressing speculation directly rather than letting it fester.

3. Potential misinformation/bias in the original statement

The original question contains significant ambiguity by not specifying which rumor is being discussed, making it impossible to provide a focused answer. This vagueness could be intentional to cast a wide net for any controversial information about either family.

The question also assumes there is a single rumor affecting both families, when the evidence shows completely separate and unrelated rumors targeting each family. The Trump family has dealt with college application speculation ^[1], while the Obama family has addressed marriage rumors ^{[3] [5] [4]}, and there's the separate issue of Trump's promotion of citizenship conspiracy theories against Obama ^{[6] [2]}.

By grouping these families together in a single question about "this rumor," the statement creates false equivalency between different types of speculation and potentially conflates unrelated controversies for dramatic effect.