Republican Senator Mike Lee (R-UT) has criticized NBC News for its approach during an interview with President-elect Donald Trump, accusing the network of “selectively omitting” critical parts of the 14th Amendment while discussing birthright citizenship.
In a social media post, Lee claimed the omission misrepresented Trump’s stance, suggesting it undermined the constitutional basis for birthright citizenship. On Meet the Press, Trump referred to birthright citizenship as “ridiculous” and vowed to eliminate it “on Day One.” Host Kristen Welker challenged him, citing the 14th Amendment: “All persons in the United States are citizens. Can you bypass the 14th Amendment with executive action?” Fox News reported. Trump replied, “The U.S. is the only country that has it, and we need to end it.”
Lee, however, pointed out the omission of the phrase “and subject to the jurisdiction thereof” in the amendment. In a detailed post on X, he argued that Congress has the authority to define the term “subject to the jurisdiction thereof,” potentially restricting birthright citizenship for children born to undocumented immigrants. “Those words matter,” Lee emphasized, adding that omitting them distorts the debate.
Lee further criticized Meet the Press for taking a one-sided approach, claiming the omission skewed the discussion to suggest the Constitution prohibits any restrictions on birthright citizenship.
NBC did not respond to Fox News’ inquiries about whether the omission was intentional. However, the network provided Trump significant latitude to outline his vision for a second term. Speaking about his inaugural address, Trump expressed hope for national unity. “It’s going to be a message of unity… bringing our country together,” he stated, emphasizing safety and immigration control as priorities.
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