Top court thwarts Trump's bid to change citizenship rules
The law stipulating that anyone born in the US is automatically granted citizenship will remain valid. Donald Trump wanted to change this and, in a symbolic move, issued an executive order to that effect on the very first day of his second term as US President. Now a Supreme Court ruling has put a stop to his plan. Europe's press sees this and other decisions by the Supreme Court as a measure of the state of democracy in the US.
The best proof of independence
El Mundo takes stock:
“The Supreme Court has rejected the attempt to abolish birthright citizenship and blocked Trump's bid to remove the head of the Federal Reserve. And by refusing to review a civil judgement awarding compensation to a journalist, it dealt him a severe personal blow. It's also true that the court has handed him a victory and expanded his powers to dismiss officials in federal agencies. ... But it has shown that it supports the president when it considers that his powers are in line with the constitution and blocks his path when he oversteps them. Standing up to the most powerful man in the country is the best proof of independence.”
Plenty of leeway for the president
The fact that the court went against Trump on the issue of citizenship is small consolation, says El País:
“It's true that when faced with a choice between the letter of the constitution and Trump's wishes, the court chose the constitution. But wherever there was room for interpretation the court used it in favour of Trumpism, including on the issue of abortion. In the same week, it lifted restrictions on campaign donations and ruled that the president can dismiss officials from independent federal agencies at will. The Supreme Court has drawn a red line for Trump: the letter of the constitution. Everything else remains at his disposal so that he can remodel the US in line with his authoritarian dreams.”
Democracy in danger
De Volkskrant hopes the court will for tougher rulings:
“It's bitter that just as the country is marking its 250th anniversary, a person who is in every respect the polar opposite of George Washington is in power, and is shamelessly abusing every ounce of that power. ... One can only hope that the Supreme Court will soon realise that democracy will quickly fall apart if the president is allowed to continue doing as he pleases. ... One positive development is yesterday's decision to uphold birthright citizenship, thereby making it impossible to deny passports to the children of undocumented migrants. Hopefully this will mark a turning point.”