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Donald Trump shares false claim about Nikki Haley, questions her Indian parents’ citizenship status
Donald Trump has taken to social media to share a claim about Nikki Haley that is completely untrue – that she is not eligible to become president
Donald Trump has taken to social media to share a claim about Nikki Haley that is completely untrue – that she is not eligible to become president because she is not a natural-born US citizen. On his Truth Social profile, Trump posted a screenshot of the claim being made by the far-right website The Gateway Pundit.
The Gateway Pundit’s X post, a screenshot of which was shared by Trump, reads, “In @NikkiHaley ’s situation, reports indicate that her parents were not U.S. citizens at the time of her birth in 1972. Based on the Constitution as interpreted by @PaulIngrassia, this disqualifies Haley from presidential or vice-presidential candidacy under the 12th Amendment.”
Not just Trump, many other social media users have shared similar claims.
Why the claim is false
Haley wrote in her 2012autobiography that her parents “were born in the Punjab region of India.” Back in 2015, her office told South Carolina newspaper The State that, at a time when she was governor, that her father Ajit Randhawa became a US citizen in 1978. This was six years after Haley was born. Her mother Raj Randhawa, on the other hand, was naturalised in 2003.
However, experts have claimed that Haley is an absolutely legitimate candidate if one goes by the Constitution. Despite the status of her parents’ citizenship, her being born in Bamberg makes her a natural-born citizen. This is one of three qualifications to become US president.
“Having been born in South Carolina, she is clearly a ‘natural born citizen,’ without regard to the fact that her parents were immigrants,” Geoffrey Stone, a professor of Law at the University of Chicago who is an expert on constitutional law, told The Associated Press. Calling the claims “bonkers,” Stone said that these arguments cannot disqualify Haley from her position based on what citizenship her parents hold.
A recent CNN poll has also revealed that Haley has largely narrowed the gap with Trump in the Republican primary race in New Hampshire. While Trump does boast a lead with 39% support among likely Republican primary voters, Haley stands at 32%.
