Politics

Trump Responds To Paul Ryan For Disagreement On Birthright Citizenship Order

AFP PHOTO / MANDEL NGAN

Saagar Enjeti White House Correspondent
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President Donald Trump attacked House Speaker Paul Ryan for criticizing his planned executive order ending birthright citizenship for illegal immigrants, in a Wednesday tweet.

Ryan reacted to Trump’s surprise revelation in an interview which aired Tuesday saying, “you cannot end birthright citizenship with an executive order,” adding “as a conservative, I’m a believer in following the plain text of the Constitution, and I think in this case the 14th Amendment is pretty clear, and that would involve a very, very lengthy constitutional process.”

“But where we obviously totally agree with the president is getting at the root issue here, which is unchecked illegal immigration,” he continued.

MANDEL NGAN/AFP/Getty Images

Trump told Axios Monday evening he will issue a future executive order to end birthright citizenship for illegal immigrants and some other non-citizens, adding “it was always told to me that you needed a constitutional amendment. Guess what? You don’t.”

“We’re the only country in the world where a person comes in and has a baby, and the baby is essentially a citizen of the United States … with all of those benefits,” Trump continued. The president’s expected executive order is certain to spark a high stakes legal battle, which is likely to make it all the way to the Supreme Court.

Photo by Mark Wilson/Getty Images

The president also boasted of his plans Wednesday morning on Twitter: