No, Trump didn’t say Obama’s criticism should be illegal | Fact check

An Oct. 12 Facebook post (direct link, archive link) includes a purported Truth Social post by former President Donald Trump.
“Election Interference!” reads the supposed post in all capital letters, which is a screenshot of a post on X, formerly Twitter. “Totally unfair that Obama can run his mouth about former presidents like me – should be illegal!”
The image includes another X user’s response to the post: “BREAKING: Donald Trump says it should be illegal for Obama to say something negative about a former president.”
The Facebook post was shared more than 150 times in just over a week. Another version of the claim also circulated on Facebook.
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The image of the supposed Truth Social post is fabricated. There is no evidence Trump posted any such thing, and the user who made the original post said it’s satire.
The claim came days after former President Barack Obama stumped for Vice President Kamala Harris in Pennsylvania. Obama sought to increase Black male support for Harris in remarks that also included criticism of Trump.
“What I cannot understand is why anybody would think that Donald Trump will shake things up in a way that is good for you, Pennsylvania,” Obama said at one point, as reported by USA TODAY. “I don’t understand that. Because there is absolutely no evidence that this man thinks about anybody but himself.” 
But there’s no evidence that Trump responded as the Facebook post claimed he did. No posts matching the purported statement appear on Trump’s Truth Social account, nor are there reports from legitimate news outlets that he ever made any such comment.
The user who first posted the supposed Trump statement on X said in a follow-up post that it was satire. The Halfway Post, which is the account that is shown responding to the statement, is also a satirical account.  
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The notion that criticizing former presidents should be illegal runs counter to the First Amendment, which protects the freedom of speech. Additionally, such a ban would also impact Trump given his regular criticism of former presidents.   
Trump did, however, respond to Obama’s stump speech by sharing a Fox News clip on Truth Social with the all capital letters caption, “Desperate Kamala turns to Obama to save her.”
USA TODAY has debunked an array of fabricated images of Trump posts, including ones claiming he said that Americans “better elect me” because “everything is horrible” and that the first assassination attempt against him “took my entire ear off.”
USA TODAY reached out to the user who shared the post for comment but did not immediately receive a response.
Check Your Fact also debunked the claim.  
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