Why We Should Abolish the Requirement that the President Must be a Natural Born Citizen [Updated] Reason.com

In almost every recent election, some prominent candidate’s eligibility for the presidency or vice presidency has been questioned on the theory that they do not meet the requirements of the Natural Born Citizen Clause of the Constitution. In 2016, the target was Ted Cruz. In 2008 and 2012, it was Barack Obama, who was assailed by “birtherists” who falsely claimed he was born outside the United States. Obama’s 2008 GOP opponent, John McCain, also came under attack because he was born in what was then the Canal Zone.

The latest Natural Born Citizen-controversy focuses on Democratic vice presidential nominee Kamala Harris, thanks to a Newsweek article by conservative legal scholar John Eastman, claiming that she isn’t eligible despite being born in the United States, due to the possibility that her parents were not yet US citizens at the time she was born. Eastman’s argument has, predictably been taken up by Donald Trump, just as Trump previously claimed Ted Cruz was ineligible in 2016, and promoted “birtherist” attacks on Obama.

via reason.com