*By Conor White* Donald Trump may be looking to score points with his base ahead of midterm elections by turning the conversation back to immigration. With one week to go before Election Day, Trump proposed ending birthright immigration with an executive order during an interview for "Axios on HBO" [released Tuesday morning](https://www.axios.com/trump-birthright-citizenship-executive-order-0cf4285a-16c6-48f2-a933-bd71fd72ea82.html). "It was always told to me that you needed a constitutional amendment. Guess what? You don't," the president claimed in the video. Birthright citizenship is protected under the 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution and any effort to end it would come under immediate legal challenge. Republican House Speaker Paul Ryan broke with Trump to make a firm statement against his proposal shortly after the interview was released. "You cannot end birthright citizenship with an executive order," he said in an interview with Kentucky radio station WVLK. Trump's birthright proposal came one day after the Pentagon said it would send more than 5,000 U.S. troops to the southern border to prepare for what Trump has called an "invasion" of asylum-seeking migrants slowly making their way through Mexico. Some observers see the focus on immigration as politically-motivated. "One gets the sense that he hasn't thought through the details very strongly," David Graham, staff writer at The Atlantic, said about Trump's birthright proposal in an interview Tuesday on Cheddar. "What he's really concerned with is the rhetoric and how it plays politically." "He's remembering 2016 and seeing the magic he got talking about immigration," Graham continued, "Hoping he can recreate that and pull a win out." However, Shannon Vavra, a political reporter at Axios, noted that Trump has long railed against so-called "anchor babies" and other longstanding immigration policies such a "chain migration," which refers to immigrants sponsoring family members to come to the U.S. She said the timing may just be Trump being Trump. "The timing of it is definitely questionable at this point," she said, "but President Trump tends to do what he wants to do." For full interview [click here](https://cheddar.com/videos/trump-says-hell-end-birthright-citizenship).

Share:
More In Politics
Closing Bell: February 12, 2018
One of the biggest global consumers goods companies, Unilever, is threatening to stop advertising on digital platforms like Facebook and Google if the companies don't clean up their acts. Snap's Vice President of sales has left the company. A new report finds Facebook is losing a younger audience. Dow closed up 400 points after the most volatile week in two years.
A Turning Point for Cryptocurrencies
Cheddar's "The Crypto Craze" covers the latest trends, and news in the space. the cryptocurrency is floating around the $8,000 mark after a dip on Tuesday. The price has been slowly climbing again. The same pattern has been seen in other major cryptocurrencies like Ethereum and Ripple.The price of cryptocurrencies have been mostly stable is the last couple days, a big contrast to the Dow's major moves and volatile swings. Cheddar's Brad Smith and Hope King break down the factors driving this stability and the state of regulation in this space.
The Questions Many Are Thinking But No One is Asking
Kayla Webley Adler, senior features editor at Marie Claire, and Eric Sullivan, senior editor at Esquire, discuss their joint project, "Sex, Lies, and Videotape." They asked writers, celebrities, and thought leaders tough questions about the complexities of the "post-weinstein" era.
Opening Bell: February 9, 2018
It's been a wild week for the stock markets. The Dow plunged below 1,000 points for the second time ever on Thursday. Amazon is taking on UPS and FedEx, announcing a new delivery service geared towards businesses. Congress agreed on a spending bill after a brief government shutdown overnight. Snapchat is starting to show signs of recovery after a disappointing few quarters. Cheddar senior reporter Alex Heath sits down with Billy Gallagher, author of the new book "How to Turn Down a Billion Dollars: The Snapchat Story," to see what lies ahead for the company.
Government Open for Business After Brief Shutdown
Haley Byrd, congressional reporter at The Weekly Standard, and Katherine Mangu-Ward, Editor-in-Chief at Reason Magazine, discuss the 2nd government shutdown of 2018. The government closed for just over five hours before the House passed a two-year spending bill that was later signed by the president.
Closing Bell: February 8, 2018
Cheddar is dedicating the day to celebrating women, and we're calling it "Chedher"! We have special co-hosts and interviews from women in sports, tech, business, politics and more. Hope King welcomes special co-hosts Alicia Quarles and Tanzina Vega.
Between Bells: February 8, 2018
Between Bells: Cheddar turns into #chedHER, with 100% women anchors and guests. We highlight women in business, tech, entertainment, politics, and sports. With Cosmopolitan, EMILY's List, Lea DeLaria, MoveOn.org, THINX, and more!
Talking Business With Linda McMahon
Linda McMahon, head of the Small Business Administration, discusses her appointment to the role, and her journey rising through the ranks of the business world. McMahon was made head of the S.B.A. by President Trump.
Load More