On Cruz, Trump dishes native-born baloney

U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz of Houston is controversial for many reasons, but not for his citizenship.

His mother, Eleanor Darragh, is listed on his birth certificate as Delaware-born, which makes Cruz a U.S. citizen even though he was born in Calgary, Alberta.

New York Republican Donald J. Trump has renewed questions about Cruz’s eligibility, saying nominating him would be “very precarious” and his election “could be tied up in court for two years.”

Trump is raising red flags only as a form of code to voters. The previous week, he said Cruz’s faith is suspect because “not a lot of evangelicals come out of Cuba.”

This time, he said voters should be concerned that “he was born in Canada and he has had a double passport.”

So, is Trump saying Cruz is from Cuba, or Canada?

What Trump really means, without saying it, is that Cruz, a Texan since age 3, is from somewhere else while Trump is a Queens, N.Y., American.

The U.S. Supreme Court has never ruled on the “natural-born citizen” requirement for president. Generations of Americans have accepted it to mean anyone who is a citizen at birth, regardless of where he or she was born.

Trump’s nativist argument is clear. Move on.

This story was originally published January 6, 2016 at 5:59 PM with the headline "On Cruz, Trump dishes native-born baloney."