CNN’s Don Lemon To Donald Trump: What Would It Matter If Obama Wasn’t Born Here

video

by Colby Hall | 8:22 pm, May 1st, 2011

» 48 comments

Just when you thought every angle in the “Birther” controversy surrounding Barack Obama’s birth place (and legitimacy as president) had been all too thoroughly scrutinized there comes this. During a live interview with reality TV show host Donald Trump, CNN’s Don Lemon suggested that it may not have even mattered where Obama was born “since what exactly natural-born is has never been litigated.” Was this a new front in keeping the birther story alive? Or just a really wacky line of questioning for the CNN news anchor? Maybe both.

Lemon seems to suggest that since the term “natural-born” has never been clearly defined (one would assume with regards to the office of U.S. President) that the place of Obama’s birth may have little bearing on his legitimacy in serving U.S. highest political office. He also mentions John McCain‘s birth in the then US territory of the Panama Canal as another historical oddity that was never litigated in the context of Trump’s strange (and strangely effective) obsession with Obama’s birth certificate. Credit to Lemon and his producers for coming up with a new road of coverage on this issue, one that few, if any, have traveled down.

In fairness to Lemon, according to the website USConstituion.net, a natural-born citizen is not as clear cut as one may have previously thought:

Who is a natural-born citizen? Who, in other words, is a citizen at birth, such that that person can be a President someday?

The 14th Amendment defines citizenship this way: “All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside.” But even this does not get specific enough. As usual, the Constitution provides the framework for the law, but it is the law that fills in the gaps. The Constitution authorizes the Congress to do create clarifying legislation in Section 5 of the 14th Amendment; the Constitution, in Article 1, Section 8, Clause 4, also allows the Congress to create law regarding naturalization, which includes citizenship.

Currently, Title 8 of the U.S. Code fills in the gaps left by the Constitution. Section 1401 defines the following as people who are “citizens of the United States at birth:”

Anyone born inside the United States *
Any Indian or Eskimo born in the United States, provided being a citizen of the U.S. does not impair the person’s status as a citizen of the tribe
Any one born outside the United States, both of whose parents are citizens of the U.S., as long as one parent has lived in the U.S.
Any one born outside the United States, if one parent is a citizen and lived in the U.S. for at least one year and the other parent is a U.S. national
Any one born in a U.S. possession, if one parent is a citizen and lived in the U.S. for at least one year
Any one found in the U.S. under the age of five, whose parentage cannot be determined, as long as proof of non-citizenship is not provided by age 21
Any one born outside the United States, if one parent is an alien and as long as the other parent is a citizen of the U.S. who lived in the U.S. for at least five years (with military and diplomatic service included in this time)
A final, historical condition: a person born before 5/24/1934 of an alien father and a U.S. citizen mother who has lived in the U.S.

So yes, it appears that the definition of who actually gets to claim “naturalized citizen” status is somewhat vague, and could theoretically be litigated in a court of law. However, from this writer’s vantage point, it seemed at best to be a really odd question to ask of the “King of the Birthers”; and at worst to be woefully off-target.

Lemon followed up with Trump on critiques that the presumptive GOP leader is racist (as many in the media have started to vocally claim.) Perhaps the “who-cares-where-he-was-born” question was a means to establish the allegation that Trump’s tilting at birther windmills was racially motivated? One may never know.

Watch the clip below, courtesy of CNN:

barack obama, Birth Certificate, Birther, Don Lemon, Donald Trump

http://blog.cyberquill.com Cyberquill

Natural-born means born without a Caesarean.
possibly

Mediate is the last birther standing–all birther, all the time.
namseer

I saw this interview. This is a stupid non-story built up by Mediaite to try and stir up the birthers and get a bunch of page visits to the Mediaite Web site.

Lemon was trying for the vast majority of the interview to get Trump to acknowledge if he could understand how his (Trump’s) comments could be perceived as racist. Trump danced around the question. So the interview was nothing more than an attempt to hold Trump accountable for his statements. Trump, of course, shirked responsibility, as usual.
ganymede

Funny enough, that’s the question that kept coming to my mind during this whole stupid ‘Birther’ episode. What the fxxx difference does it make where Obama was born? He’s obviously a natrual-born American but not the type of American rightwingers like. It only highlights the role that race plays in all this. Birthers are no more racist than most people, they are just people with a narrow and fearful focus on life and in difficult times will take the path of least resistance. The reality is Obama is one of the most qualified politicians to become President in recent memory. He’s in the Clinton class without the rough edges. Rightwingers should put themselves into the position Democrats/Liberals were in when Bush II was foisted on us. It was clear from the git-go that Bush was supremely unqualified to be President, and look what happened. Where wre most of you when we tried to explain why Bush would be a disaster. It doesn’t say much about the judgment of many on the right. So now we have to defend Obama from the incredibly stupid, irrational and sometimes immoral attacks. He isn’t perfect but he’s the very best we’ve got. Also, where would we be today if McCain/Palin had won. Please wake up!
felixw

What a surprise! More birther news from Mediaite.

This site continues to run 5-10 birther stories every day, even after the President released his long form birth certificate. Meanwhile, no stories show up here on the border, Afghan casualties, the $100 trillion in unfunded future liabilities from Democrat entitlements, the ugly unemployment situation, and a host of other vital issues

Ah, water seeks its own level. Mediaite leaves no doubt on what it finds important and trivial. Hence, I advise more stories on Elvis sitings and alien abductions — would fit in with the birther fixation of the editors and writers here.
http://www.facebook.com/people/Bill-Adkins/1585417987 Bill Adkins

Mediaite is enjoying rubbing the birthers’ noses in the afterbirth. Breathe deep, you f&cking morons.
The Lantern of Truth

Bill Adkins said:
Bill Adkins

Bill Adkins said:
you f&cking moron.
http://www.facebook.com/people/Bill-Adkins/1585417987 Bill Adkins

The Lantern of Truth said:

Awww – did I hurt your widdle feelin’s and get under your skin, moron?
The Lantern of Truth

Doesn’t matter . King Obama does what he wants . For now .

” President Obama is looking at using an executive order to politically corrupt government purchasing and hijack political speech rights.

The executive order, still in draft stage, would require companies that want to do business with the federal government to first hand over a list detailing their political contributions.

The White House tries to claim this is being done to ensure “transparency” but even a fifth-grader can see it creates a corrupt pay to play system. It’s a list that can guide the rewarding of contracts to Administration friends and “punish our enemies” to borrow an Obama phrase from the immigration debate.
By himself, Obama would decree in this order, requirements similar to those earlier rejected by Congress and the U.S. Supreme Court. So much for “checks and balances” in the U.S. of Obama.

Speaking of end-runs around legitimate governing, according to an April 11 article in the Washington Post, Obama told gun-control advocate Sarah Brady that he still has plans for more gun control, noting, “We have to go through a few processes, but under the radar.”

Out-of-control government and an unaccountable president are dangerous to our freedoms and to our families’ well being. We need to start paying more attention now.

http://morningjournal.com/articles/2011/05/01/opinion/mj4468048.txt?viewmode=fullstory
The Lantern of Truth

Bill Adkins said:
Awww – did I hurt your widdle feelin’s and get under your skin, moron?

Adkins . You are a steaming pile of pig crap . But you know that .

Grow up .
winning

Liberals, upset that Obama has taken away their reason for living by showing his birth certificate, are clearly driving this story now. They have been all along, of course, but now they can’t even pretend that they’re not.
http://www.facebook.com/people/Bill-Adkins/1585417987 Bill Adkins

Don’t know Glackin – but I’m feeling the love from Mediaite. They enjoy me twisting youir panties into a bunch. Breathe deep, now.
LOGICandREASON

Don Lemon is such an idiot, Trump made a good point about MSNBCDNC having a program called the black agenda without any reaction from the media, yet he is being called out by this idiot for simply saying he gets along fine with the blacks.

So I guess the issue now is the letter “s”? What a stupid argument
The Lantern of Truth

This way to the freshest moonshine in town :

Take I-75 south to exit 159.

Turn left off the exit ramp (go east on KY 22).

Turn right at the 3rd traffic light (go south on US 25).

After 1.5 miles, our office is located on the left just prior to the Jiffy Lube garage.
http://www.facebook.com/people/Bill-Adkins/1585417987 Bill Adkins

The Lantern of Truth said:
Adkins . You are a steaming pile of pig crap . But you know that . Grow up .

You make a lame attempt to insult me by arranging quotes and you call me names — yet you then tell me to ‘grow up.’ Stupid thy name is lantern of truth.
http://www.facebook.com/people/Bill-Adkins/1585417987 Bill Adkins

The Lantern of Truth said:
This way to the freshest moonshine in town : Take I-75 south to exit 159. Turn left off the exit ramp (go east on KY 22). Turn right at the 3rd traffic light (go south on US 25). After 1.5 miles, our office is located on the left just prior to the Jiffy Lube garage.

Keep those directions close – you’ll need them the next time you molest a 9 year old in KY – but bring your checkbook.
Azarkhan

ganymede said:
The reality is Obama is one of the most qualified politicians to become President in recent memory. He’s in the Clinton class without the rough edges

Just when I think you couldn’t be any more stupid, you prove me wrong. Obama isn’t qualified to run a lemonade stand, let alone be president. Clinton was/is corrupt to the core, and was not exactly exemplary as president, except of course to dimwits like you. Obviously you forgot about his impeachment for lying under oath.
http://www.facebook.com/people/Bill-Adkins/1585417987 Bill Adkins

Waiting for your call, jbubblegum – you should stick to reading Tiger Beat – you have limitations.
The Lantern of Truth

Cumberland College of Kentucky , School of Chicken Management

” We fry ‘em , you buy ‘em “
The Lantern of Truth

jdubbellu said:
you will probably hear from about 300,000 teeny boppers. now you wont have to cruise the jr. high schools anymore.

Excellent . I bow to you , sir .
http://www.facebook.com/people/Bill-Adkins/1585417987 Bill Adkins

jdubbellu said:
im not calling but you will probably hear from about 300,000 teeny boppers. now you wont have to cruise the jr. high schools anymore. wait this is just a brilliant marketing scheme isnt it? you clearly must come from some podunk place that is only populated with democrat pussies right?

300,000 teeny boppers follow jbubbles’ comments? No wonder you bow to him – now, what exactly is it you do when you bow?
http://www.facebook.com/people/Bill-Adkins/1585417987 Bill Adkins

jdubbellu said:
hmm what are the slander laws in NY? is that where mediaite is hosted?

Can’t wait for Lantern O. Truth to file – I can show it the way to the courthouse.
msblkwidow

What I want to know is: Why are you Obama haters even here? You know that we love President Obama. He’s a brilliant man. He’s a handsome young man. And a constitution lawyer??? What? Did I get this right? He’s a Constitution Lawyer? That must mean…he knoooows the U.S. constitution, huh?

Hey you haters out there, you might as well give it up. 2012 for Obama. And you can’t do squat about it. hahaha. Doesn’t this just get your goat?

Hey, the next time you see Donald, take a closer look at that thing he wears on his head. Is it really a dead fox?
The Lantern of Truth

Bill Adkins said:
Mediaite is enjoying rubbing the birthers’ noses in the afterbirth. Breathe deep, you f&cking morons.

‘Moral . If you’re going to call people f’ ‘ ing morons , don’t be a f ‘ ing moron .

…delivering legal excellence with a straightforward and plain-spoken approach.

We look forward to serving your legal needs.
The Lantern of Truth

With any luck , the local paper , The Grant County News , will not catch wind of this nefarious foul mouthed citizen .

http://www.grantky.com/
http://www.facebook.com/people/Bill-Adkins/1585417987 Bill Adkins

ROFLMAO – tell you what – do a search and see my columns in that paper. They’re bound to piss off sick-o-phants like you and jbubblegum.
http://www.facebook.com/people/ObamaRelease-YourRecords/100000555737985 ObamaRelease YourRecords

Mediaite, you should be ashamed to continue to twist around the “natural born Citizen” issue. First, Obama’s place of birth is just one aspect of his “natural born Citizen” status the other is the “citizen” status of both his parent’s at the time of Obama’s birth. The 14th Amendment does not even have the word “natural born Citizen” in it. Nor did it amend Article II of the Constitution and sure the hell didn’t change the meaning of a “natural born Citizen”… The 14th only makes on a “citizen” or “naturalized” citizen. Again, that is not the same as a “natural born Citizen” of the United States. History is very clear on this as is several SCOTUS rulings that mention a “natural born Citizen” is one born on soil to “citizen parents”… Stop the lies!

Requirements for the Office of President and vice-President…

“natural born Citizen” and “citizen” are not the same!

“No person except a NATURAL BORN CITIZEN, OR a CITIZEN of the United States, AT THE TIME of the adoption of this Constitution, shall be eligible to the office of President;…” – Article II, Section 1, Clause 5 – U.S. Constitution

From the Obama AKA Soetoro AKA Soebarkah website via Factcheck.org…

“When Barack Obama, Jr. was born on Aug. 4,1961, in Honolulu, Kenya was a British colony, still part of the United Kingdom’s dwindling empire. As a Kenyan native, Barack Obama Sr. was a British subject whose citizenship status was governed by The British Nationality Act of 1948. That same act governed the status of Obama Sr.‘s children.

Since Sen. Obama has neither renounced his U.S. citizenship nor sworn an oath of allegiance to Kenya, his Kenyan citizenship automatically expired on Aug. 4,1982.” – Factcheck.org

Senate Resolution 511: Recognizing that John Sidney McCain, III, is a natural born citizen…

Mrs. MCCASKILL (for herself, Mr. LEAHY, Mr. OBAMA, Mr. COBURN, Mrs. CLINTON, and Mr. WEBB) submitted the following resolution;

“Recognizing that John Sidney McCain, III, is a natural born citizen.

Whereas the Constitution of the United States requires that, to be eligible for the Office of the President, a person must be a `natural born Citizen’ of the United States;…

…Whereas John Sidney McCain, III, was born to American citizens on an American military base in the Panama Canal Zone in 1936: Now, therefore, be it

Resolved, That John Sidney McCain, III, is a `natural born Citizen’ under Article II, Section 1, of the Constitution of the United States.” – (April 30, 2008)

On the House floor with no objections…

“All from other lands, who by the terms of [congressional] laws and a compliance with their provisions become naturalized, are adopted citizens of the United States; all other persons born within the Republic, of parents owing allegiance to no other sovereignty, are natural born citizens. Gentleman can find no exception to this statement touching natural-born citizens except what is said in the Constitution relating to Indians.” – (1862)

“Every human being born within the jurisdiction of the United States of parents not owing allegiance to any foreign sovereignty is, in the language of your Constitution itself, a natural born citizen….” – (1866)

Rep. John Bingham, Principal Framer of the Fourteenth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution

From the Supreme Court of the United States…

“The Constitution does not, in words, say who shall be natural-born citizens. Resort must be had elsewhere to ascertain that. At common-law, with the nomenclature of which the framers of the Constitution were familiar, it was never doubted that all children born in a country of parents who were its citizens became themselves, upon their birth, citizens also. These were natives, or natural-born citizens, as distinguished from aliens or foreigners. Some authorities go further and include as citizens children born within the jurisdiction without reference to the citizenship of their parents. As to this class there have been doubts, but never as to the first. For the purposes of this case it is not necessary to solve these doubts.” – MINOR v. HAPPERSETT, 88 U.S. 162 (1874) U.S. Supreme Court –

All Souces linked here: http://obamareleaseyourrecords.blogspot.com/2011/04/bloomberg-on-fox-news-sunday-obamas.html

http://obamareleaseyourrecords.blogspot.com/2011/02/list-of-us-presidents-eligibility-under.html

http://obamareleaseyourrecords.blogspot.com/2010/07/irrefutable-proof-that-barack-obama-is.html

——

Nice job at continuing to dumb down your readers!!
Alice67

Bill Adkins said:
Waiting for your call, jbubblegum – you should stick to reading Tiger Beat – you have limitations.

Bill be careful …. jdubbellu was in a flame war a couple of days ago and posted a virus as a link. My virus program picked it up before it did any damage.
Skippy

Bill Adkins said:
ROFLMAO – tell you what – do a search and see my columns in that paper. They’re bound to piss off sick-o-phants like you and jbubblegum.

I suggest a screen cap and an email it to Mediate since the little birfher is actually threatening you in that post.
Also, upload it to FaceBook.

Lets see his “photoshop skills” making him grow a pair.
Skippy

Alice67 said:
Bill be careful …. jdubbellu was in a flame war a couple of days ago and posted a virus as a link. My virus program picked it up before it did any damage.

Same advice.

Get a screen capture and email Mediaite.
Alice67

jdubbellu said:
alice please give me a call at 941-921-2068 id like to talk to you about your lying. http://www.roscoeschickenandwaffles.com/ was the link and its not a virus you lying c*nt.

According to my virus program it was. I will never open any link you send. EVAH! And I will never call you either. I want nothing to do with you.
cjd ohio 1

Alice67 said:
According to my virus program it was. I will never open any link you send. EVAH! And I will never call you either. I want nothing to do with you.

the us military drafts women
Alice67

jdubbellu said:
youre a liar.

Your opinion means absolutely nothing to me.
Alice67

cjd ohio 1 said:
the us military drafts women

Would you like me to direct you to the link she sent?
Alice67

Osama Bin Laden is dead. On Obama’s watch. 2012 a shoe in!
cjd ohio 1

Alice67 said:
Would you like me to direct you to the link she sent?

where it says women were drafted in the US military. sure
The_Reasonable_Lib

More importantly than all of this bullshit is that Osama Bin Laden is dead under the watch of who? President Barack Obama who SAID he would get him. Now I’M seeing 2012 from MY window. I’m also seeing Obama up to his nips in approval!!!!
cjd ohio 1

The_Reasonable_Lib said:
More importantly than all of this bullshit is that Osama Bin Laden is dead !!!

a great day for america
Eruptor75

Don Watermelon is about as informed as fellow CNN retard Rick Sanchez was. Can anybody get a job at CNN? Unbelievable
winning

Alice67 said:
According to my virus program it was. I will never open any link you send. EVAH! And I will never call you either. I want nothing to do with you.

Why don’t you show the log, with the name of the virus and what the source was.
Alz

Here is more on “Natural Born Citizen.” I think Obama decided to drag it out and I think it’s backfiring. More people are looking into the actual meaning of the term “Natural Bron Citizen”, but it would have died off years ago if he just had coughed up the long form.

http://naturalborncitizen.wordpress.com/
Barack Must Go

I noticed Lemmon kept looking off to the left just before he lied about needing to take a break that never happened. That was more than likely his producer giving him the cut sign so they could tell him what to do.
No wonder why CNN consistently comes in fifth place in a three way race.
TrollJuice

Ha! Lemmon is call them as he sees them! Trump is a RACIST!
Judge Mental

A wacky line of questioning, Colby? Not at all. It goes to the heart of the birth certificate issue. I’m actually surprised CNN brought it up.
WHarropson

CNN’s Don Lemon To Donald Trump: What Would It Matter If Obama Wasn’t Born Here

This is probably one of the best headlines for a post on mediaite. CNN reporter asked the question that defines the issue better than any other. This is the theme that every liberal media outlet was promoting, without saying it out front. This is what they were thinking every time they called someone a birther, every time they fell all over themselves to report birther storys at every opportunity. It never mattered to them if there was a constiutional issue, because they don’t respect the constitution. They turned this into an opportunity to bash anyone who does hold the principles of the constitution in high regard.

And as to the undefined natural born citizen argument. What a joke. What an imbarrassment. Unbelievable.
MrTPar_taY

Gee, I don’t know, wouldn’t there be just the slighest indication that Obama lied to us.
http://www.youtube.com/user/KenyanBornObamAcorn#g/u ObamAcornLies

Actually, the courts HAVE gone over Natural Born Citizen…

WAKE UP PEOPLE!

The video that will END the Obama Presidency! Birthers Get Last Laugh & Demand Formal Apology!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X1DHZmeMXyE&feature=channel_video_title
WHarropson

Whoops,
Sorry Obama, it was fun while it lasted.

Chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, James F. Wilson of Iowa, confirmed this in 1866: “We must depend on the general law relating to subjects and citizens recognized by all nations for a definition, and that must lead us to the conclusion that every person born in the United States is a natural-born citizen of such States, except that of children born on our soil to temporary sojourners or representatives of foreign Governments.”*

When a child inherits the citizenship of their father they become a natural-born citizen of the nation their father belongs regardless of where they might be born. It should be pointed out that citizenship through descent of the father was recognized by U.S. Naturalization law whereby children became citizens themselves as soon as their father had become a naturalized citizen.

http://federalistblog.us/2008/11/natural-born_citizen_defined.html

I didn’t read the whole thing so correct the record if I’m wrong.