I seem to remember reading about when John Quincy Adams’s wife was expecting a child while her husband was abroad on a diplomatic mission, that the family made it a point to get Mrs. Adams back to mainland USA so that the child was born on American soil and was thus eligible to be a future POTUS. I think Levin is wrong.
FWIW, Al Hamilton, the bastard brat of a scotch peddlar, born on the island of Nevis, West Indies, was POTUS-eligible, despite not being a Natural Born Citizen of any relevant jurisdiction. All of John Adams’ children when born were subjects of the British Crown. Natural Born Subject by that time had expanded by Parliamentary stature to describe a host of newborn babies, which may explain Levin’s definition of Natural Born Citizen:. Anybidy born anywhere in the world to anyone except two non-citizen parents.
I wonder what it was that you read.
By the way, John Adams, overseas minister plenipotentiary negotiating for the independent United States of America, was tossing the exact term “Natural Born Citizen of the United States” around on drafts he authored of what became the 1783 Treaty of Paris. Trying to gain amnesty for our purebloods.
He’s been wrong before. If this is about Cruz, let’s not even mention the fact that Cruz remained a Canadian citizen into his 40s.
Bingo!
(And his current argument has been thoroughly examined in these pages over the past several years.)
The founders very clearly distinguished in the Constitution with references to two groups of citizens regarding parentage, those qualified to serve as Commander in Chief and those who were not.
In the absence of an amendment to the Constitution, and notwithstanding any statute to the contrary, the intent of the founders is to prevail over any other interpretation.