Trump pledges to abolish birthright citizenship and grant pardons to US Capitol riot participants

President-elect Donald Trump has committed to ending automatic citizenship for individuals born in the US, beginning on his first day back in office next month. “We have to end it. It’s ridiculous,” he stated to NBC’s Meet the Press during his initial broadcast network interview since securing victory in November’s election. Such efforts, however, would encounter substantial obstacles, given that this right is codified within the US Constitution. In the extensive interview, which was taped on Friday, Trump additionally indicated his intention to pardon individuals implicated in the 2021 Capitol riot and committed to issuing “a lot” of executive orders on his first day, covering areas such as the economy, energy, and immigration. The Republican leader further reaffirmed his proposals for widespread deportations of undocumented immigrants residing in the US, though he expressed willingness to collaborate with Democrats to assist those who entered the country as children. Although he implied he would not pursue a Justice Department inquiry into Joe Biden following his inauguration on 20 January, he asserted that certain political opponents, including legislators who probed the Capitol riot, ought to be incarcerated. Trump was questioned regarding whether he would endeavor to pardon the hundreds of individuals found guilty of participation in that disturbance, which occurred when his supporters breached Congress three months subsequent to his loss in the 2020 election. He responded, “We’re going to look at independent cases.” He added, “Yeah, but I’m going to be acting very quickly.” “First day,” he further stated. Trump proceeded, “You know, by the way, they’ve been in there for years, and they’re in a filthy, disgusting place that shouldn’t even be allowed to be open.” The President-elect also conveyed additional information during the NBC interview broadcast on Sunday: Regarding immigration, Trump informed NBC that he intends to pursue executive action to terminate what is known as birthright citizenship, a provision that grants an American passport to anyone born in the US, irrespective of their parents’ place of birth. Birthright citizenship originates from the 14th Amendment of the US Constitution, which declares that “all persons born” in the United States “are citizens of the United States”. Despite his pledge to abolish this practice, efforts to do so would encounter considerable legal challenges, and any executive order aimed at this objective would probably be promptly invalidated by courts. The threshold for amending the Constitution is exceptionally stringent, demanding approval from two-thirds of Congress, encompassing both the House and Senate. Furthermore, it necessitates ratification by three-fourths of the states. During the interview, Trump additionally stated his commitment to fulfilling his campaign promise to deport undocumented immigrants, including individuals whose family members are US citizens. He remarked, “I don’t want to be breaking up families,” adding, “so the only way you don’t break up the family is you keep them together and you have to send them all back.” Trump further expressed his desire to collaborate with Congress to assist “Dreamers,” who are undocumented immigrants protected by the Obama-era Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, a program Trump previously sought to eliminate. He declared, “I will work with the Democrats on a plan,” noting that some of these immigrants have secured favorable employment and established businesses. Trump appeared to convey inconsistent messages regarding whether he would proceed with his frequent pledges to pursue retribution against political opponents. This week, outgoing US President Joe Biden granted a broad pardon to his son, Hunter, who had been criminally convicted. Reports indicate that the Democrat is contemplating additional widespread pardons for political associates prior to his departure from office next month. Trump appeared to suggest that he would not initiate a special counsel investigation into Biden and his family, a course of action he had previously promised. He stated, “I’m not looking to go back into the past.” He continued, “I’m looking to make our country successful. Retribution will be through success.” However, he also asserted that members of the now-disbanded, Democratic-controlled House of Representatives committee that investigated him “should go to jail.” Liz Cheney, a former Republican congresswoman and a member of that panel, responded to Trump on Sunday. She characterized his remark about committee members being jailed as a “continuation of his assault on the rule of law and the foundations of our republic.” During his NBC interview, Trump also indicated he would not instruct the FBI to conduct investigations targeting his adversaries. Nevertheless, he informed the network: “If they were crooked, if they did something wrong, if they have broken the law, probably.” He added, “They went after me. You know, they went after me, and I did nothing wrong.”