Harry Reid skewers Trump for digging up his old views on citizenship
Former Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid doesn't want any part of President Trump's campaign against birthright citizenship.
On Wednesday morning, Trump tweeted that Reid used to oppose guaranteeing citizenship to all those born on U.S. soil "before he and the Democrats went insane." He later backed it up with a 1993 clip of Reid, then a Nevada Democrat, telling the Senate how "no sane country" would offer birthright citizenship as "a reward for being an illegal immigrant."
The shout-out prompted Reid to come out of retirement, if only for one brief statement. He called his 1993 bill to end birthright citizenship a "mistake," just like how Trump "was gobbling up tax-free inheritance money" at the same time. Reid then called Trump out for wanting to "stoke fear instead of unify" the country, and finished by saying the president is "profoundly wrong" in assuming how Reid really feels.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Trump publicized his proposed change to citizenship laws on Tuesday, asserting he didn't need a constitutional amendment to amend the interpretation of the Constitution. Legal scholars, many Republicans, and even House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) disagree.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Kathryn is a graduate of Syracuse University, with degrees in magazine journalism and information technology, along with hours to earn another degree after working at SU's independent paper The Daily Orange. She's currently recovering from a horse addiction while living in New York City, and likes to share her extremely dry sense of humor on Twitter.
-
5 drawn-out cartoons about the ongoing government shutdownCartoon Artists take on government employee cosplay, which side blinks first, and more
-
Political cartoons for November 1Cartoons Saturday's political cartoons include insurance premiums, early voting in NYC, and more
-
Salted caramel and chocolate tart recipeThe Week Recommends Delicious dessert can be made with any biscuits you fancy
-
Senate votes to kill Trump’s Brazil tariffSpeed Read Five Senate Republicans joined the Democrats in rebuking Trump’s import tax
-
Border Patrol gets scrutiny in court, gains power in ICESpeed Read Half of the new ICE directors are reportedly from DHS’s more aggressive Customs and Border Protection branch
-
Shutdown stalemate nears key pain pointsSpeed Read A federal employee union called for the Democrats to to stand down four weeks into the government standoff
-
Trump vows new tariffs on Canada over Reagan adspeed read The ad that offended the president has Ronald Reagan explaining why import taxes hurt the economy
-
NY attorney general asks public for ICE raid footageSpeed Read Rep. Dan Goldman claims ICE wrongly detained four US citizens in the Canal Street raid and held them for a whole day without charges
-
Trump’s huge ballroom to replace razed East WingSpeed Read The White House’s east wing is being torn down amid ballroom construction
-
Trump expands boat strikes to Pacific, killing 5 moreSpeed Read The US military destroyed two more alleged drug smuggling boats in international waters
-
Trump demands millions from his administrationSpeed Read The president has requested $230 million in compensation from the Justice Department for previous federal investigations
