CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- President Barack Obama says Republicans are creating a "fictional Barack Obama" during the White House campaign by misrepresenting his positions and words.

Obama says GOP rival Mitt Romney has made disputed allegations the "centerpieces" of his campaign. The president singled out Romney's claim that he stripped a work requirement out of federal welfare laws, a Romney assertion that has been widely debunked.

The president said Romney didn't spend a lot of time at the GOP convention talking about how he would make Americans' lives better. He says Romney's strategy must be to convince the public that getting rid of Obama will be enough to turn things around.

Obama spoke in an interview with USA Today.