Since being inaugurated as the 47th president of the United States on Monday, January 20, Donald Trump has already taken significant action through several executive orders.

At 78 years old, the Republican leader has introduced numerous directives—legally binding instructions to federal agencies that bypass the need for congressional approval. Among these actions are the withdrawal from the Paris Climate Agreement and the World Health Organization (WHO), as well as the postponement of the TikTok ban.

In addition, he has sparked intense debate with bold steps aimed at ending birthright citizenship, raising questions about what this could mean for his youngest son, Barron Trump, and his status as a U.S. citizen.

Birthright citizenship meaning

When Trump brings up birthright citizenship, he’s likely referring to the legal concept known as jus soli, which translates from Latin to “right of the soil.”

The opening line of the 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution lays the foundation for this principle: “All persons born or naturalised in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the state wherein they reside.”

Essentially, this rule grants citizenship automatically to anyone born on U.S. soil, regardless of their parents’ nationality. In other words, it ensures that almost everyone born within the country’s borders is recognized as a U.S. citizen from birth.