‘Was Meant For Babies Of Slaves, Not The Rich’: Donald Trump On US Birthright Citizenship

Last Updated:December 10, 2025, 10:55 IST

Donald Trump said that birthright citizenship was meant solely for the children of enslaved people after the Civil War and not for children born to non-citizen parents in the US.

A file photo of US President Donald Trump (AP)

Donald Trump has asserted that the landmark legal foundation for birthright citizenship was never intended to apply to children born in the United States to parents who are in the country illegally or temporarily.

His comments come as the Supreme Court prepares to hear his administration’s appeal defending his executive order that seeks to restrict automatic citizenship.

In an exclusive interview with Politico, Trump argued that the historic case underpinning the 14th Amendment’s citizenship clause must be understood in its original context, which he described as a narrow provision written in the aftermath of the Civil War.

“The case is very interesting because that case was meant for the babies of slaves,” he told Politico, adding, “if you look at the dates on the case, it was exactly having to do with the Civil War.”

“That case was not meant for some rich person coming from another country, dropping, putting a foot in our country, and all of a sudden their whole family becomes, you know, United States citizens,” Trump said.

He repeatedly stressed that the provision was created for a specific historical need.

“That case is all about slaves, the babies of slaves. And it was a good reason for doing it. And that’s all it was about,” Trump said.

According to him, public and judicial understanding of that intention is shifting.

“People now are understanding it. It’s been explained to them. And I think the court understands it, too.”

Trump warned that a ruling against his administration would impose immense burdens on the country.

“That would be a devastating decision if we lose that case,” he said.

“Because our country cannot afford to house tens of millions of people who came in through birthright citizenship.”

He reiterated that the provision “was meant for the babies of slaves,” emphasising again that “if you look at the exact dates that it was passed, it all had to do with the Civil War and the ending of the Civil War. It’s that little period of time. And people now are starting to understand.”

Last week, the US Supreme Court agreed to take up the constitutionality of Trump’s order, which declares that children born to parents who are in the United States illegally or only temporarily are not American citizens.

The justices will hear the appeal of a lower-court ruling that struck down the restrictions, which have not taken effect anywhere in the country.

Arguments are expected in the spring, with a definitive ruling likely by early summer.

The order, signed on January 20, the first day of Trump’s second term, is part of his administration’s wider immigration crackdown.

It would overturn more than 125 years of accepted interpretation that the 14th Amendment confers citizenship on nearly all individuals born on US soil, aside from narrow exceptions such as children of foreign diplomats.

Every lower court that has considered the policy has concluded that it violates, or is likely to violate, the Constitution, noting that the amendment was explicitly intended to guarantee citizenship to Black Americans, including formerly enslaved people.

News world ‘Was Meant For Babies Of Slaves, Not The Rich’: Donald Trump On US Birthright Citizenship

Read More

Read More