Trump has threatened that he may issue a presidential decree outlawing birthright citizenship. He has not followed through with his threat–yet–but even his mentioning that he has the power to erase the XIV Amendment should raise alarms of concern.
For starters, getting rid of the XIV Amendment would have the immediate effect of putting into question who is a citizen. As there would be no Constitutionally guaranteed definition, it would be up to the fifty states to determine who is a citizen. Would the state of Utah determine that only Mormons were citizens? Could the states of the former Confederacy declare that only Whites were citizens?
Even putting aside the practical application of dissolving the XIV Amendment, Trump would be taking a power that is not given to him by the Constitution. When the states decided to abolish prohibition, the XXI Amendment was used to abolish the XVIII Amendment. This was the due process, and due process is the whole point of the US Constitution. No US president abolished prohibition, it was abolished by the states.
It is curious that Republicans, who are supposed to interpret the text of the Constitution literally have given little pushback. With the weak exception of Paul Ryan, there has not been a reaction from Republicans to match their outrage when Barack Obama wore a tan suit.
It is clear that Trump threatened to undo the Constitution because of his belief that dark-skinned foreigners are taking advantage of having babies in the US. As he is a proven racist and a nationalist, what is to prevent Trump from declaring the Emancipation Proclamation null and void? How close are we to becoming an apartheid state?
While on the subject of the damage that Trump the dotard can do, the XXII Amendment limits the American presidency to two terms. What is to stop Trump from issuing a declaration making himself president for life? Changing the rules is what Putin, Chavez and countless other dictators have done to ensure their continued grip on power.
That we are even taking seriously Trump’s statements is in and of itself a venture into the paranormal. We, as a country, are in the exact situation in which Marco Rubio and Jeb Bush found themselves when campaigning against then-candidate Trump. Trump’s mastery of bullying and diversion lets him make wild statements, which cannot be countered with facts, precisely because they are so wild.
So, what exactly is Trump diverting our attention from? For starters, the US national debt. Under Trump, the national debt will not be reduced, but will be increased by $5.6 trillion. The net interest on the debt alone, already exceeds the cost of federal pensions.
So, why does Trump keep talking up xenophobia and the White nationalist agenda? One answer may be that it keeps him from answering questions about how he was given a thriving economy by his predecessor. And how his tax cuts for the rich are nothing more than the squandering away of economic security from future generations.
One way to stop Trump is to put him in his place. Others have done it before. The way they did it was by not being afraid of Trump and exercising their power over him. The US House of Representatives, under Democratic control, could subpoena Trump’s taxes and put an end to the charade of his finances. Once his finances are shown to be in shambles, the aura of the invincible Trump will disappear. Putting Trump on the defensive will mean that we will be able to get to the bottom of his collaboration with Russian oligarchs and be able to put an end to the Trump dumpster fire.