Trump Has 'Just a Little' Doubt Obama Was Born in America

FoxNews ^ | March 17, 2011

[maggief]

Potential presidential candidate Donald Trump says he has "just a little" doubt that President Obama is U.S.-born but his feeling doesn't make him an "idiot."

The mogul and TV reality star suggested in an interview with ABC's "Good Morning America" that aired Thursday that he's reluctant to discuss the topic because "everybody that even gives any hint of being a 'birther,' a word you didn't use, even a little bit of a hint like, 'gee, maybe you know, just maybe there is this much of a chance,' they label them as an idiot."

[Howie66]

I hate to say this, but I see Trump as nothing more than a cheap and self serving opportunist. He’ll do and say anything to get in front of a camera. I could throw him farther than I could trust him.

I had Stroker pegged from the beginning and didn’t even stay at a Holiday Inn Express.

That ANYBODY could have not seen through him is a thing of amazement to me.

[Vendome]

Whatever, you blowhard.

I still respect you but this really is just another part of your lifelong PR campaign.

Ya ain’t running.

[BuckeyeTexan]

A very reasonable conclusion.

I think so, but I consider myself rather "high and mighty" on this issue. Not as High and Mighty and the Lord, mind you, just the plain old arrogrant human kind.

[Old Teufel Hunden]

"No member of Congress, no judge of the Federal Judiciary, no elected or appointed official in Federal or State government has the right to use any other definition; and if he does, he is acting unlawfully, because unconstitutionally."

You're wrong. The Congress does have the right to define what constitutes a natural born citizen as long as it does not contradict what the Constitution says. Why is the Supreme Court the only authority to define this? They have no ability to make law, only to interpret. There is no basis in the Constitution to be able to interpret what the term Natural Born Citizen means. Therefore it is up to the Congress to determine this and create laws. Which they have done.

[Vendome]

He was born at General Hutpital

[Old Teufel Hunden]

"You don’t know where to get evidence?"

I'm talking about the assertion that natural born means that both your parents have to be U.S. citizens and being born on U.S. soil. It says none of that in the Constitution. I point to my post 29 because I already did the work to explain where and how it's defined. By the Congress. Why should I have to post it to you and everyone else who responds to me? Why not point you to where I said it once.

[butterdezillion]

Exactly. That is what is at stake.

When we have neither truthfulness nor the rule of law, we are ripe to become what every other banana republic or third-world dictatorship has become. What separates us from Libya, Egypt, and Iran is the public’s ability to demand truth and the rule of law. If we lose that we lose everything that America is.

And to be perfectly honest, it’s not looking very good for America right now. The America the free world has known and loved is fading before our very eyes, pulled under by lies and lawlessness while the people’s hands are tied by courts saying that nothing about the government is our business.

Either we find a way to MAKE it our business, or this nation will drown in the cesspool. It’s that critical.

[Old Teufel Hunden]

"Two conditions are required for one to be a Natural
Born Citizen.

1) Both parents are citizens of the US.
2) Born on US soil.

Obama fails on the first requirement, and was never
eligible to be president, per the US Constitution.

The issue of where he was born is a moot point, because of this."

Can you point me out in the constitution where "natural born citizen" is defined? Where do you get your information? The definition is not in the constitution. The Supreme Court is only supposed to interpret laws, not create them so it has been left up to the legislature to define it. Which they have and it's not your definition.

[crosshairs]

Anyone willing to spend $600 million of their own money for a job that pays $400,000/yr is clearly a complete narcissist. We already have one of those in office.

[Old Teufel Hunden]

"I read nothing in post 29 that points me to the current legal interpretation of “natural born citizen.”"

The current one is that one parent has to be a U.S. citizen. When Obama was born, the parent who is a U.S. citizen had to be at least 18 (I think that's the age) or if under 18 the child had to be born on U.S. soil. This is why everyone wants to know where Obama was born. Because Anne Dunham was under 18.

[BuckeyeTexan]

“citizen” does not equal “natural born citizen.”

[Howie66]

Understood.

I am determined to see to it that we do not allow ourselves to be snookered like we were with McLame, again. We cannot allow the “establishment GOP” or the SRM to dictate to us who will be acceptable to them in the future. Their choices have always turned out to be deleterious to our cause.

I don’t presume to have all the answers, but I will do my level best to make certain that anyone that I support will put our country, God and our future ahead of their own.

The oath that I took upon entering the Corps demands nothing less.

[butterdezillion]

Exactly. That’s why it would make so much sense for a state to pass an eligibility bill that would create an undeniable “case” for the courts to decide the issue finally.

I hear talk about Rubio. I like Rubio, but I don’t know his citizenship status and that needs to be figured out. This is why I told the NE legislative committee that the issue isn’t going to be going away. There are too many up-and-coming candidates who have different citizenship backgrounds, and we need a definition of NBC.

Reminds me I need to see if that committee voted on LB 654 like they were expected to yesterday.

[AdamBomb]

One thing I’ll say about Trump, he’s got a set unlike the vast majority of Repubs who spend most of their time playing hide the sausage or hot potato.

Trump will be a game changer. He’ll be more honest than any of the other candidates. You may not like him, but he’ll be honest and he won’t back down.

[surrey]

Trump supported McCain in 2008 not Obama. made his endorsement on the Larry King Show.

[AdamBomb]

"Look at me Barack, it's all for you!"

[BuckeyeTexan]

And thank you for your work on that bill.

[Windflier]

Can you point me out in the constitution where "natural born citizen" is defined? Where do you get your information? The definition is not in the constitution.

Read the Constitution carefully, and you'll notice that the Framers didn't define any of the phrases or words which were a part of the common tongue of the day.

It was (and still is) incumbent upon the reader to understand the language in that document (or any other). That said, even though some of the phraseology and spellings are somewhat removed from our modern form of English, it can all be understood precisely by consulting dictionaries of the day, and the many contemporaneous letters and writings of those who crafted that document.

At the time the US Constitution was written, the phrase, "Natural Born Citizen" was understood to mean, 'one who owes their undivided allegiance to a country by virtue of their parentage, and birthplace.'

This simple concept has apparently been lost to succeeding generations of Americans, who now see nothing unusual about electing someone to our highest office who doesn't fit this description.

We are now witnessing the wisdom of the Framers' NBC requirement on full display, as our alleged president shows how someone with alloyed allegiances behaves as Commander in Chief.

This is the simple logic and reasoning underlying this whole discussion, and proves that the Framers indeed had Vattel's definition of NBC in mind when they constructed the US Constitution.

[bluecat6]

In Minor v. Happersett, Chief Justice Waite, when construing, in behalf of the court, the very provision of the Fourteenth Amendment now in question, said: “The Constitution does not, in words, say who shall be natural-born citizens. Resort must be had elsewhere to ascertain that.”

_______________________________________________________________________________

Even SCOTUS can be incompetent or at least very sloppy.

Article II refers to the phrase ‘natural born Citizen’ not ‘natural-born citizen’.

One thing we know for sure was that Congress considered children born to parents (plural) overseas AS ‘natural born Citizens’. This is from the first naturalization act. And yes, these words were eliminated in following acts. But it provides very clear insight that jus sanguinis was considered stronger than jus soli. The wording above basically tried to ‘waive’ jus soli and rely soley on jus saguinis. Maybe that is why this wording was eliminated in future versions of the act.

I think the main reason SCOTUS has not ‘addressed the issue’ is this - this phrase puts this in the realm of ‘natural law’ vs. ‘positive law’. And lawyers and judges hate natural law since they are powerless to affect it.

I think those trying to rational the current situation are intentionally being sloppy with the term to cloud it and make it completely worthless...

Peace.

[Old Teufel Hunden]

"“citizen” does not equal “natural born citizen.”"

Exactly. Notice how I did not include the anchor babies who come in here via the 14th amendment? Natural born has been defined by current U.S. statute.