Trump’s vow to end birthright citizenship could face legal challenges, GOP skeptics

President-elect Trump has doubled down on his vow to end birthright citizenship, a task that would likely face legal challenges as well as skepticism from within his own party.

For starters, the 14th Amendment grants citizenship to those born in the U.S. As a result, most legal experts think Trump wouldn’t be able to end the right through executive order, as he has suggested on the campaign trail and during a recent interview on “Meet the Press.” 

Republicans including Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) and Vivek Ramaswamy have also backed the idea of ending birthright citizenship, but for others, the legal roadblocks that would arise raise questions over if it will be popular to reverse a program that automatically grants American citizenship to those born in the U.S. regardless of ancestry.

When questioned if he thinks he can get around the 14th Amendment through executive action, Trump told NBC moderator Kristen Welker, “Well, we’re going to have to get it changed. We’ll maybe have to go back to the people, but we have to end it. We’re the only country that has it, you know.”