Falsely claims he can end birthright citizenship with executive order days before midterms

In an Axios interview published six days before the 2018 midterm elections, Trump claimed he could end birthright citizenship for children born in the U.S. to non-citizens through an executive order. "It was always told to me that you needed a constitutional amendment. Guess what? You don't," Trump said, contradicting the clear text of the 14th Amendment and 150 years of settled constitutional law. Legal scholars across the political spectrum immediately denounced the claim as legally baseless, with even Republican leaders like Paul Ryan saying "you obviously cannot do that." The 14th Amendment explicitly states that "all persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens." Trump's claim was widely seen as another pre-election attempt to inflame anti-immigrant sentiment, similar to his simultaneous fearmongering about migrant caravans. No such executive order was ever issued.

"It was always told to me that you needed a constitutional amendment. Guess what? You don't." — October 30, 2018 Axios interview claiming executive order could override 14th Amendment