Trump Targets Haley Again with Conspiracy Theory... US Media Calls It "Nonsense"

Spreading False Information and Disputes Over 'Place of Birth'
Local Media Calls It "Baseless Claims"

Former President Donald Trump, who is leading the Republican presidential primary in the United States, is embroiled in controversy for spreading fake news about the eligibility of his 'challenger,' former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley. The controversy surrounding her birthplace has been a frequent attack card used by Trump, drawing criticism as 'baseless claims.'

On the 10th (local time), U.S. media outlets including The New York Times (NYT) reported that on the 8th, Trump posted a report from the conspiracy theory site 'Gateway Pundit' on his social media platform Truth Social, questioning Haley's eligibility to run.

Nikki Haley, former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations
[Photo by AP/ Yonhap News]

The report claimed that when Haley was born in 1972, her parents were not U.S. citizens, and therefore Haley might be ineligible to run for president or vice president.

It is true that Haley's parents obtained U.S. citizenship after her birth. The problem is that the claim that Haley is ineligible to run is clearly false information. The U.S. Constitution stipulates that a presidential candidate must be a citizen, at least 35 years old, and have resided in the U.S. for at least 14 years.

The 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution follows the principle of jus soli, granting U.S. citizenship to all children born on American soil regardless of their parents' nationality. Haley was also a U.S. citizen from birth.

Multiple American media outlets described Trump's social media post as a legally unfounded sophism.

Former U.S. President Trump
Photo by Rointer / Yonhap News

Although Trump did not add any further comments to the post, it is interpreted as an attempt to highlight Haley's status as a second-generation Indian immigrant to provoke Republican voters sensitive to immigration issues amid her recent rising momentum.

In the past, Trump has often questioned the birthplace of his competitors. During the 2016 Republican presidential primary, he launched similar attacks against Texas Senator Ted Cruz. Although Cruz was born in Canada, both of his parents were U.S. citizens, making Cruz a U.S. citizen from birth. There were no disqualifications regarding his eligibility to run for president.

Despite Trump's challenges, there are forecasts that Haley's momentum will gain further strength following former Governor Chris Christie's withdrawal from the race. On the 10th, Christie announced his withdrawal at a town hall event in Windham, New Hampshire. He stated, "I will never allow Trump to become president again," indicating his intention to support Haley moving forward.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.