Trump shares false claim Haley isn't eligible to be president, returning to racist birther conspiracy

WASHINGTON – Former President Donald Trump reposted a false report earlier this week claiming incorrectly that former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley is ineligible for the presidency because her parents were not yet United States citizens when she was born.

That doesn't matter. Haley was born in 1972 in the United States, automatically making her an American citizen and eligible for the presidency. The Constitution mandates that the president be a natural-born citizen, at least 35 and a resident of the U.S. for 14 years.

But the post marks a new chapter in Trump's use of what's known as "birtherism," a racist conspiracy theory, against a political rival.

More than a decade ago, Trump spread false conspiracy theories about where former President Barack Obama was born. In 2016, he raised citizenship issues about Republican primary rival Ted Cruz, especially after Cruz won the Iowa caucuses.

In 2020, Trump also amplified false birther claims against then-vice presidential candidate Kamala Harris.

Neither Trump nor Haley have commented on his post.

Political observers have long pointed out that Trump and his allies tend to raise false "birther" qualms against people of color.

Laurence Tribe, Harvard Law School professor emeritus, said he doesn't understand what Trump hopes to gain by attacking Haley on this issue, "unless it’s to play the race card against the former governor and U.N. ambassador as a woman of color." He warned in an emailed statement that Trump could be trying to "draw on the wellsprings of anti-immigrant prejudice by reminding everyone that Haley’s parents weren’t citizens when she was born in the USA.”

The attack comes as Haley's campaign has gained momentum, including in New Hampshire, a crucial early voting state. Haley knocked Trump multiple times onstage Wednesday night during the fifth GOP primary debate, calling on the former president to defend his views to voters ahead of the first caucuses and primaries of the 2024 presidential election.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Donald Trump shares false claim Nikki Haley isn't eligible for 2024