In a recent interview with Kristin Welker broadcast on national television on December 8, convicted felon and president-elect Trump promised to “absolutely” end birthright citizenship “on day one” of his presidency:
KRISTEN WELKER: You promised to end birthright citizenship on day one.
PRESIDENT-ELECT DONALD TRUMP: Correct.
KRISTEN WELKER: Is that still your plan?
PRESIDENT-ELECT DONALD TRUMP: Yeah. Absolutely.
KRISTEN WELKER: The 14th Amendment, though, says that, quote, “All persons born in the United States are citizens.”
PRESIDENT-ELECT DONALD TRUMP: Yeah.
KRISTEN WELKER: Can you get around the 14th Amendment with an executive action?
PRESIDENT-ELECT DONALD TRUMP: Well, we’re going to have to get it changed. We’ll maybe have to go back to the people. But we have to end it.
Birthright citizenship is guaranteed to Americans by Section 1 of the 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution:
In order to assume the office of President, Trump must take a Presidential Oath in which he must swear to faithfully preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States, not erode it:
“I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will faithfully execute the Office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States.” [Underlining emphasis added.]
Thus Trump has publicly stated an intent to violate his oath of office before taking it.
Knowing Trump intends to find a way to undermine the Constitution instead of preserving, protecting and defending it as required by oath, Chief Justice John Roberts should refuse to swear him into office. If Roberts doesn’t and swears Trump in anyway, then Roberts will become Trump’s accomplice in degrading the Constitution and thus violate his own oath of office, which required him as a Supreme Court Justice to “defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic.”
Trump has made it abundantly clear on more than one occasion that he is a domestic enemy of the Constitution. In December of 2022, he publicly called to terminate the Constitution to overturn the 2020 election so he could be president again. Liz Cheney said at the time, “No honest person can now deny that Trump is an enemy of the Constitution.”
Knowing Trump’s intent, and his broader desire to “terminate” the Constitution, swearing Trump into office despite would make Chief Justice Roberts a domestic enemy of the Constitution as well.