In the very unlikely event that you’re inclined to think beyond a Donald Trump sound bite:
If one were to accept Trump’s originalist view (not that he even knows it’s an originalist view, mind you) on the issue of whether Cruz is a natural born American citizen, an American Indian would/will NEVER be eligible for the office of president. The originalist view holds that the meaning and intent of the term natural born can only be derived from the original text of the constitution (Section 1, Article 2), and NOT by subsequent legislation. The problem is that neither the constitution, nor the Federalist Papers, nor any of the framers’ individual writings identify or even refer to the intended meaning of the term natural born.
Thus, using Trump’s argument, since American Indians were not conferred citizenship until passage of the Indian Citizenship Act in 1924, they are not natural born citizens. Is that Trump’s opinion? Is it yours? Does anyone in their right mind believe that a federal court is going to make a decision that drastic and with such far-reaching implications - all of which go well beyond Ted Cruz?
What continues to bother me and many others about this debate over the meaning of natural born is the fact that Senator Cruz has never denied or attempted to obfuscate the fact that he was born in Canada of an American mother and Cuban father. That is not the case with Obama, wherein virtually everything about his past has been lied about, concealed or purposefully obfuscated, but somehow the meaning of natural born is now an issue to Donald Trump and many of his followers. If Donald Trump were genuinely concerned about the issue, wouldn’t he have filed suit to compel Obama to prove that he is a natural-born citizen?
Using your own argument, accepting for this instance only its accuracy, Those indian Americans in 1928 would be naturalized, their children, if born in the US, to both naturalized parents would be Natural Born. So your statement that none of them are natural born, would only be for those who became naturalized in 1928.
However, you are aware of the Indian Nation. They have a different government on lands designated as Indian Nation Lands. No Non-Indian can own lands in these areas, but can rather lease property in these lands. I lived in these areas, and they have their own police forces, their own Fire Departments, and their place on adjoining lands policy boards. They have indian tax free liquour stores, gaming areas not legal elsewhere, and they have a type of profit sharing for indian families in those lands. Not to mention paid health care, emergency care, dental, vision, and welfare and food provisions, their own fishing areas not available to non-Indians, and are not subject to US laws.
Do you really think the founders thought it was ok to have a foreigner as POTUS just because one parent had been a US citizen at least for a while?
That doesn’t pass the smell test.
bfl