*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).
In a Cheddar Special Report, anchors Baker Machado and J.D. Durkin bring you all the latest ahead of President Trump’s first State of the Union address.
RNC National Spokesperson Kayleigh McEnany says that the media leans left and isn't giving President Trump a fair shot. The Daily Beast's Andrew Desiderio discusses McEnany's claims and takes a look at what he expects from President Trump's first State of the Union address.
After one year in office, President Trump will deliver his first State of the Union address. Immigration and the economy are expected to take center stage during the night. RNC National Spokesperson Kayleigh McEnany previews what she expects to hear from the president.
Congresswoman Maxine Waters (D-CA) is one of a group of Democrats who will be boycotting President Trump's State of the Union address. She talks to Cheddar about the reasons why.
President Trump is one year into his term. The stock markets are at historically high levels, and unemployment at the lowest levels in years. Washington Examiner's Breaking News Reporter Melissa Quinn gives her take on what we can expect to hear from President Trump during the State of the Union.
Vimeo coming off a big year of changes in 2017. The company's CEO Anjali Sud explains how these changes are driving growth for the company. A look at the business of marijuana on Cheddar's Cannabiz. The New York Times released an investigative piece on the dark world of buying followers and bots for social media fame and recognition. Facebook faces calls to remove its messenger app for kids. The Dow closed today down more than 300 points. The major dip occurred on the same day as President Trump's first State of the Union address.
Amazon is joining forces with Berkshire Hathaway and JPMorgan Chase to bring their employees better and cheaper healthcare. EasyJet's CEO is giving himself a pay cut to match the salary of his female predecessor. Actor Jeff Hiller joins us to discuss stepping into a critically-acclaimed off-Broadway solo show already in progress. Plus, we talk to Chat Sports about the Cleveland Indians' decision to do away with their controversial logo.
New York State Senator Gustavo Rivera points out that having nearby states change taxation and other laws around marijuana could help convince lawmakers in his own state to legalize recreational use as well.
After years of protest, the Cleveland Indians will remove Chief Wahoo from their uniforms starting in 2019. Chat Sports Founder and CEO James Yoder explains the timing behind the team's decision.
President Trump has five days to decide whether to release a classified memo to the public that alleges abuses of power by the Justice Department and FBI in the Russia investigation.
