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Transcript/ScriptUS Presidency Eligibility))
HEADLINE: Who Can Be US President? Here’s what the Constitution says
TEASER: Debunking birther theories ahead of the 2024 US presidential election
PUBLISHED AT: Thursday, February 8, 12:26 pm
BYLINE: Veronica Balderas Iglesias
CONTRIBUTOR:
DATELINE: Washington
VIDEOGRAPHER:
VIDEO EDITOR:
SCRIPT EDITORS: Aru Pande, sb, dj (bal)
VIDEO SOURCE (S): Agencies, Skype, see script for others
PLATFORMS (mark with X): WEB __ TV _X_ RADIO __
TRT: 3:15
VID APPROVED BY: sb
TYPE:
EDITOR NOTES: Agencies’ logos that look lighter or different were burnt by the source.))
((TV INTRO))
[[Casting doubts on his political rivals’ eligibility to run for the U.S. presidency is one of Republican frontrunner and former President Donald Trump’s key campaign strategies. Fellow candidate Nikki Haley is the latest target of what is known as “birtherism.” VOA Correspondent Veronica Balderas Iglesias explains how the Constitution lays out who can run for America’s top job.]]
((VIDEO: REUTERS Donald Trump Campaigning in Iowa))
((NAT))
((Donald Trump, Republican Presidential Candidate))
“She’s not right to be president. I know it very well.”
((NARRATOR))
Republican presidential frontrunner Donald Trump has returned to a familiar campaign tactic, using so-called “birther” theories to question
((VIDEO: AP Agencies Haley))
whether rival Nikki Haley can legally run for president.
((VIDEO: AFP))
Birther theories cast doubts on a candidate’s eligibility by questioning
((VIDEO: Storyblocks))
a person’s place of birth or using faulty interpretations of the law.
((VOA GRAPHICS))
Back in January, Trump reposted an article that falsely claimed Haley is not eligible because her Indian parents were not U.S. citizens at the time of her birth.
((VIDEO: AFP))
((NARRATOR))
Haley herself was born in South Carolina.
((VIDEO: Agencies, The US Constitution))
The U.S. Constitution is clear about who can occupy the highest office in the land, experts explain.
[[RADIO INTRO: Distinguished Professor of History at American University, Allan Lichtman]]
((Allan Lichtman, American University)) - ((Skype))
“An age requirement of 35 years or older, a birth requirement – you have to be a natural born U.S. citizen – and a 14 year residency requirement. // All of those born in the United States are natural born citizens, regardless of the immigration or citizenship status of their parents.”
((VIDEO: AFP))
((NARRATOR))
Haley wasn't Trump’s first target for birther theories.
((VIDEO: Archive))
Former Democratic President Barack Obama
((VIDEO: AFP))
and Trump’s Republican rivals for the 2016 Republican presidential nomination Ted Cruz
((VIDEO: Archive))
and Marco Rubio were targets themselves and had to refute them.
((VIDEO: Archive))
((Barack Obama, Former US President))
“I was pretty confident about where I was born. I think most people were as well.”
((VIDEO: AP Stills Oval office))
((NARRATOR))
There is a reason why only those born in the U.S. are eligible to run for the presidency.
[[RADIO INTRO: ...says The University of Chicago political science professor Mark Hansen.]]
((Mark Hansen, The University of Chicago))
“There will never be any thought that that president might be loyal to some other country or have inclinations that would cause them to act in anything other than the interests of the United States.”
((VIDEO: VOA Capitol footage))
((NARRATOR))
The requirement is not going away any time soon.
[[RADIO INTRO: Historian Allan Lichtman.]]
((Allan Lichtman, American University)) - ((Skype))
“Constitutional amendment requires a vote of two thirds of both houses of Congress and then ratification by three-quarters of the states. // I’ve seen no demand either at the grassroots or the elite level to loosen the natural born citizenship requirement under the Constitution.”
((VIDEO: Storyblocks))
((NARRATOR))
Any natural born citizen who runs for president has options to challenge birther theories.
[[RADIO INTRO: Ravi Perry is Professor of Political Science at Howard University.]]
((Ravi Perry, Howard University)) - ((Skype))
“You counterattack by sending the birth certificate and also emphasize that birtherism claims are usually based in some form of racism and xenophobia, and that we have no place for that in American politics.”
((VIDEO: AP Haley))
((NARRATOR))
Nikki Haley is eligible to be U.S. president and has brushed off the birther theories against her and
((VOA Graphic Truth social))
what seems to be Trump’s mocking of her Indian first name, Nimarata.
((VIDEO: AP Haley SOT))
((Nikki Haley, Republican Presidential Candidate))
“I don’t sit there and worry about whether it’s personal or what he means by it.”
((VIDEO: AP Ad hoc agencies))
But as the political wars get more fiery, analysts encourage voters to challenge birther theories and other misinformation related to the presidential election
by familiarizing themselves with the U.S. Constitution and fact-checking controversial claims that come their way,
((VIDEO: AFP Ad hoc agencies))
so they can make informed choices when they head to the polls in November.
((Veronica Balderas Iglesias, VOA News, Washington))
NewsML Media TopicsArts, Culture, Entertainment and Media
NetworkVOA
Location (dateline)
Washington D. C.
Embargo DateFebruary 8, 2024 21:17 EST
Byline
Veronica Balderas Iglesias
Brand / Language ServiceVoice of America - English
