Image Source: Getty Images | Photo By Scott Olson
President-elect Donald Trump recently announced his plan to sign an executive order on the first day of his potential new term, aiming to end automatic citizenship for children born in the U.S. to illegal immigrants. A viral post on social media, however, has raised concerns, claiming that Trump’s proposal could negatively affect his youngest son, Barron Trump. Is there any truth to this? Let’s break it down.
Claim: Trump’s Birthright Citizenship Plan Would Affect Barron Trump
On Saturday, November 16, a Facebook post claimed that Trump’s plan to end birthright citizenship would directly impact Barron. The post read, “BTW, according to Trump’s own denaturalization plan, Barron Trump should have to be deported. He was born 3 months before his mother became a U.S. citizen which means he’s not a citizen and has to go. That’s according to Trump’s policies.” This post quickly spread across various social media platforms.
False: Barron Trump is a U.S. Citizen and the Policy Would Not Affect Him
Barron Trump is, in fact, a U.S. citizen, and the President-elect’s proposal would not impact him for several reasons, according to USA Today. The proposal would only apply to future births and would not change the status of children born in the U.S. to at least one parent who is already a U.S. citizen or lawful permanent resident. At the time of Barron’s birth, both of his parents were U.S. citizens or lawful residents.
The 14th Amendment, which has granted automatic citizenship to anyone born in the U.S. for over 150 years, remains in effect. However, Trump’s policy platform argues that the clause has been “misinterpreted” and that U.S. citizenship should only extend to children who are both born in the U.S. and “subject to the jurisdiction” of the country. Under this proposal, children born to parents in the U.S. illegally would not be granted citizenship. Even if the policy were enacted, it would not affect Barron’s citizenship status.
Trump has also emphasized that the executive order would be non-retroactive, meaning it would not apply to children born before its implementation. It would only apply to future births, requiring at least one parent to be a U.S. citizen or a lawful permanent resident for the child to gain automatic citizenship.
Barron Trump’s Role in His Father’s Campaign
While Barron has remained mostly out of the spotlight during his father’s campaign, he has played a key role behind the scenes. Barron has reportedly been instrumental in helping Trump choose podcast appearances, with the President-elect crediting his son for selecting shows that helped him reach larger, younger audiences.
According to Politico, Trump’s senior adviser Jason Miller said, “Barron has been very involved in recommending a number of the podcasts that we should do. Every single recommendation he’s had has turned out to be absolute ratings gold that’s broke the internet.”
