Fact-Check: Ivana Trump’s Citizenship and Her Children’s Birthright Citizenship
What We Know
The claim made by Andrea Junker states that Ivana Trump was not an American citizen until 1988 and that her children, Donald Jr., Ivanka, and Eric, should have their birthright citizenship canceled. Here are the relevant facts:
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Ivana Trump's Citizenship: Ivana Trump, born Ivana Zelníčková in Czechoslovakia, emigrated to Canada in the early 1970s and later moved to the United States. She became a U.S. citizen in 1988 after marrying Donald Trump in 1977 (Wikipedia, AP News).
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Birth of Children:
- Donald Trump Jr. was born in 1977.
- Ivanka Trump was born in 1981.
- Eric Trump was born in 1984. All three children were born in New York City (Congress.gov, Politifact).
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Birthright Citizenship: Under the 14th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, anyone born on U.S. soil is automatically granted U.S. citizenship, regardless of their parents' citizenship status. Therefore, all three children of Donald and Ivana Trump are U.S. citizens by birth (FactCheck.org, Reuters).
Analysis
The assertion that Ivana Trump was not a U.S. citizen until 1988 is accurate. She did not gain citizenship until after the birth of her first child, Donald Jr. However, the claim that her children should have their birthright citizenship canceled is misleading and incorrect based on U.S. law.
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Source Reliability: The information regarding Ivana Trump's citizenship and the birth of her children comes from reputable sources, including government documents and established news organizations. The Wikipedia entry provides a comprehensive overview of her life and citizenship status, while AP News and Congress.gov confirm the timeline of her citizenship and her children's births.
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Legal Context: The 14th Amendment guarantees citizenship to anyone born in the U.S. This legal framework is well-established and has been upheld in numerous court cases. Therefore, the argument to "cancel" the birthright citizenship of her children is not supported by U.S. law (FactCheck.org, Politifact).
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Misinterpretation of Citizenship: The claim appears to misinterpret the implications of Ivana's citizenship status on her children's citizenship. Since Donald Trump Jr., Ivanka, and Eric were born in the U.S., they automatically received citizenship at birth, independent of their mother's citizenship status at the time of their births (Reuters, FactCheck.org).
Conclusion
The claim that Ivana Trump was not an American citizen until 1988 is True. However, the assertion that her children should have their birthright citizenship canceled is False. All three children were born in the United States and are U.S. citizens by birth, a status protected under the Constitution.
Sources
- President Trump's first 3 children did not receive birthright ...
- Trump's birthright citizenship ban will not affect his children
- Ivana Trump
- President Trump's first 3 children did not receive birthright ...
- Posts Falsely Question Citizenship of Trump's Children ...
- A Misleading Take on the Trump Family’s Citizenship
- Barron Trump was trending because of birthright ...
- Birthright citizenship didn’t apply to Trump’s children ...