Donald Trump said Sunday that the Supreme Court should settle the matter of Ted Cruz’s eligibility to be president, the latest bid by the real estate developer to raise questions about Cruz’s status.
“I would want the Supreme Court to rule, because they haven’t ruled,” Trump said. He cited prominent Harvard Law School professor Laurence Tribe of Harvard, a constitutional expert, who said Cruz’s status as a natural born American citizen is not resolved.
“It’s a real question mark,” Trump said.
Cruz was born in Canada. He is a U.S. citizen because his mother was a citizen at the time of his birth, although his father was not. At issue is whether Cruz meets a Constitutional requirement that the president be “natural born” U.S. citizen. The term is not precisely defined in the Constitution.
Trump argued the lack of resolution could cause problems for Cruz in a general election fight.
“From Ted’s standpoint and the party’s standpoint, he has to solve this problem, because the Democrats will sue him if he’s the nominee,” Trump said.
Appearing Sunday on CBS’ “Face the Nation,” Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., also argued Cruz’s status as a natural born citizen is unresolved legally. New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, appearing earlier on the show, said he believes Cruz is eligible to become president.
Cruz dismissed the issue Sunday.
His eligibility for the presidency is “simple and straightforward,” Cruz said Sunday morning on CNN’s “State of the Union.”
The Texas Republican pointed to a number of other prominent politicians who were born outside the country, including Sen. John McCain, who was born in Panama, and former Michigan Gov. George Romney, born in Mexico.
“Any candidates or, for that matter, folks in the press who want to go down rabbit trails are distracting from the real issues the American people are focused on,” he said.
