Donald Trump isn’t one to be shy when it comes to calling out his opponents for what he sees as their shortcomings.
The GOP presidential frontrunner’s latest target? Fellow presidential candidate Ted Cruz, whose Canadian birthplace Trump says could be a “very precarious” issue for the Texas Senator if he were to receive the Republican presidential nomination.
My response to @realDonaldTrump calling into question my natural-born citizenship? https://t.co/gWfAHznlCY
— Ted Cruz (@tedcruz) January 5, 2016
with a link to a video that suggested the issue was overdone.
While Cruz and Trump have been more or less friendly thus far, Trump is undoubtedly aware of Cruz’s rising poll numbers in Iowa, and this could explain why he’s on the attack.
Cruz was born in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, and his mother was a U.S. citizen when he was born. Babies born to a U.S. citizen are considered U.S. citizens by law, regardless of the place of birth. Cruz has long used this as his reasoning for why he qualifies as a presidential candidate.
The Constitution says a president must be a “natural-born citizen,” but the issue is that there is no consensus on what the definition of a “natural-born citizen is. Law scholars do generally agree, however, that Cruz is eligible for the presidency.
What, exactly, does the Constitution say about who can and cannot be president? Does Ted Cruz fit these criteria? Are there other candidates in U.S. history whose citizenship has been questioned?
Guest:
Gabriel Chin, Martin Luther King, Jr. Professor of Law at the UC Davis School of Law