US President Donald Trump once again talked against birthright citizenship, arguing that the policy was originally intended for “the babies of slaves” and is now being misused by wealthy foreigners seeking US citizenship for their children. In the post on Truth Social, Trump criticised the practice of so-called “birth tourism,” claiming that people from countries like China are exploiting the system “for pay” to secure citizenship. He also took aim at the US judicial system, saying, “Dumb Judges and Justices will not a great Country make,” while linking the issue to broader concerns over tariffs and economic policy. Trump further asserted that the United States is unique in continuing to debate birthright citizenship, suggesting other countries benefit from the current system while “laughing” at the US legal framework.“Birthright Citizenship is not about rich people from China, and the rest of the World, who want their children, and hundreds of thousands more, FOR PAY, to ridiculously become citizens of the United States of America. It is about the BABIES OF SLAVES! We are the only Country in the World that dignifies this subject with even discussion. Look at the dates of this long ago legislation – THE EXACT END OF THE CIVIL WAR! The World is getting rich selling citizenships to our Country, while at the same time laughing at how STUPID our US Court System has become (TARIFFS!). “Dumb Judges and Justices will not a great Country make!” Trump said on Truth Social. Birthright citizenship is the principle of jus soli, or “right of the soil,” under which nearly anyone born on US territory automatically becomes a citizen. It is guaranteed by the 14th Amendment to the Constitution, adopted in 1868 to ensure citizenship for formerly enslaved people, and later reinforced by the Supreme Court’s 1898 ruling in United States v. Wong Kim Ark, which extended the right to children born to non-citizen parents. While broadly applied, it excludes a few categories such as children of foreign diplomats, and remains a central, constitutionally protected feature of US citizenship law.
