Trump muddies waters for Kamala Harris by embracing 'birther' conspiracy

WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump on Thursday breathed life into right wing conspiracy theories about Kamala Harris’ eligibility to run for vice-president, saying he “heard it today that she doesn't meet the requirements” and that he’d “take a look” into the matter.
In an astonishing echo of the ugly birther controversy he amplified for years against former President Barack Obama, suggesting he was not born in the United States, Trump attempted to do the same against Harris, declining to reject rightwing theories about her ineligibility, and instead describing a political hack who wrote a dodgy essay on the subject as a "very highly qualified, very talented lawyer."
In what was purportedly a set-up at the White House briefing, Trump was told about "claims circulating on social media that Kamala Harris is not eligible to be -- to run for Vice President because she was an 'anchor baby'," and asked if he can definitively say whether or not Kamala Harris is eligible and meets the legal requirements to run as Vice President.
Anchor baby is a disparaging term for a child born to immigrant, non-citizen parents in the US. Rightwing nativists have argued that since Kamala’s (Indian) mother and (Jamaican) father were not US citizens when she was born in Oakland, California, she is ineligible to become vice-president.
Instead of shooting down the question as most legal and constitutional analysts outside of fringe elements have done, Trump said: "So, I just heard that. I heard it today that she doesn't meet the requirements. And, by the way, the lawyer that wrote that piece is a very highly qualified, very talented lawyer. I have no idea if that's right. I would've -- I would have assumed the Democrats would have checked that out before she gets chosen to run for Vice President."
He further attempted to put words in the reporter’s mouth saying, "but that's a very serious -- you're saying that -- they're saying that she doesn't qualify because she wasn't born in this country?" The reporter corrected him, saying, "No, she was born in this country, but the claims say that her parents did not receive their permanent residence at that time."
Trump: Yeah, I don't know about it. I just heard about it. I'll take a look.
The US Constitution says "To serve as president, one must be at least 35 years old, have been a resident of the United States for at least 14 years, and be a natural born citizen." Constitutional scholars and legal experts say there is no doubt Kamala Harris is a natural born citizen; her parents’ status is irrelevant in bestowing an automatic citizenship for her by virtue of birth in the US.
The issue was also vetted during the time she ran for the Democratic nomination and there remains no doubt about her eligibility -- except among racist wingnuts.
The mainstream US media too bluntly called out Trump's mischief. Washington Post headlined its fact-checking story "Trump promotes false claim that Harris might not be a US citizen" with a separate analysis headlined "Trump questions the American-ness of another non-White candidate." The New York Times headline was "Trump Encourages Racist Conspiracy Theory About Kamala Harris"