2:26
- ABC News
- January 7, 2016
Donald Trump Wants Ted Cruz to ‘Go Before a Judge’ About His Citizenship
Donald Trump encourages GOP rival Ted Cruz to clear up citizenship issue.
But earlier today on MSNBC, Trump suggested there was still a “cloud” over Cruz.
“It’s a problem for him, and it’s a problem obviously for the Republicans,” Trump said. “Let’s assume he got a nomination and the Democrats bring suit, the suit takes two to three years to solve, so how do you run?”
Trump’s stated doubts seem to differ from his opinion in September when he was asked about Cruz’s eligibility for the White House.
“I hear it was checked out by every attorney and every which way and I understand Ted is in fine shape,” Trump told ABC News at the time.
Today, another GOP candidate, Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul, also voiced concerns.
“I think without question he is qualified and would make the cut to be prime minister of Canada,” Paul quipped on the radio show Kilmeade and Friends. He continued by claiming he was not “an expert on the natural-born clause in the Constitution” and speculated the Cruz could face litigation over the matter.
Even White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest weighed in today. Alluding to the debate over President Obama’s nationality, Earnest joked that it would be “quite ironic if after 7 or 8 years of drama around the President's birth certificate, if Republican primary voters were to choose Senator Cruz as their nominee, somebody who actually wasn't born in the United States and only 18 months ago renounced his Canadian citizenship.”
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