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The parents have nothing to do with it. The person who wishes to run for President needs to have been born in the US or a US territory. To be qualified, one must be Born in the United States, regardless of parents' citizenship. Adding another opinion here. Article 2 Section 1 of the Constitution says that a person has to be a "natural born Citizen" to be eligible. It does not say that the person has to be born within the physical confines of the U.S. A child born to an American mother while out of the country is considered a natural born US citizen even if the father is not a US citizen. If a child is born abroad to a woman who is not an American citizen and if the father is a citizen then there is a process the father has to go through to prove he is the father and if he does that then the child will be considered a natural born citizen. There are even circumstances when a child born within the US is not considered a citizen. It is more complicated than just having to be born in the United States.

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15y ago
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11y ago

To be eligible for the U.S. Presidency, the Constitution includes the requirement that the person be a "natural born citizen". There is no explicit definition of this term in the Constitution. However, when the Constitution was written, an essential contemporary and consulted reference was the "Law of Nations" which states that "The natives, or natural-born citizens, are those born in the country, of parents who are citizens. As the society can not exist and perpetuate itself otherwise than by the children of the citizens, those children naturally follow the condition of their fathers, and succeed to all their rights."

This understanding of its definition has now morphed into many conflicting interpretations. However, no legal judgment has overridden the original intended meaning, so it is it is reasonable to conclude that "born to 2 U.S. citizens" is still a requirement.

Vattel's "The Law of Nations" was written in French. What was quoted above was from a flawed English translation first published over a decade after the Constitution was ratified in 1787. Thus, none of the Framers could possibly have been referring to it. The original French (the only version in existence at the time of the framing of the Constitution) does notdefine nor attempt to define "natural born citizen." It defines "natives or indigenous" citizens.

Moreover, no law in effect states that for anyone born in the USA, that even one parent, let alone both, must be citizens. The Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) §301 aka U.S. Code Title 8 §1401 defines "citizens at birth," which = "natural born citizens." Sub-§(a) thereof flatly states that anyoneborn in the USA, unless to parents who are not subject to U.S. jurisdiction (legally subject to U.S. law - that means foreign diplomats with diplomatic immunity), are citizens at birth and thus natural born citizens. Even illegal aliens are subject to U.S. law and thus jurisdiction.

INA §301 / USC Title 8 §1401 has a total of eight provisos or sub-§s, lettered (a) through (h). (a) applies to anyone born in the USA. The others apply to other circumstances. (g) would apply to someone like Barack Obama if he were born in Kenya as the Birthers erroneously believe. Even then, though, he would still qualify as a natural born citizen because (g) only requires that one parent be a citizen (it specifically states that the other parent is an alien [other provisos apply to overseas births when both parents are U.S. citizens]!), and have either lived in the USA or served overseas in U.S. armed forces or a recognized international organization such as the Red Cross, for a specified time.

Proviso (f) is also of interest.

re: Chuck W777 wrote: "No, this has never been a requirement."

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15y ago

The constitution doesn't say whether either parent has to be a citizen. It only says that the candidate must be a "natural born citizen."

Wikipedia has a fairly lengthy article that discusses what those words might actually mean.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Natural-born_citizen

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12y ago

Yes. You need to be a "Natural Born Citizen" of the US to run for President of the US, which he is.

Section 1 of Article Two of the US Constitution gives the eligibility requirements for serving as president of the United States:

"No person except a natural born Citizen, or a Citizen of the United States, at the time of the Adoption of this Constitution, shall be eligible to the Office of President; neither shall any Person be eligible to that Office who shall not have attained to the Age of thirty-five Years, and been fourteen Years a Resident within the United States.

The Congressional Research Service has stated that "the weight of scholarly legal and historical opinion indicates that the term [natural born citizen] means one who is entitled under the Constitution or laws of the United States to US citizenship 'at birth' or 'by birth' which includes any child born 'in' the United States, even to alien parents (other than to foreign diplomats serving their country), the children of United States citizens born abroad, and those born abroad of one citizen parent who has met U.S. residency requirements."

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13y ago

Yes, if you are 35 or over and can get elected.

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10y ago

No. What the constitution requires is to be born in the United States.

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10y ago

No. The requirement is that the person must have been born in the United States. Nothing is said about his parents. President Obama's father was not an American citizen.

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12y ago

I believe so

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11y ago

no

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Anonymous

Lvl 1
3y ago

yes

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Q: Do your parents have to be US citizens for you to be president of the US?
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What if parents of a us president was not born in the us and are not citizens but the president was born in the us?

unless the law is changed the answer is yes if the child was born in the US then he/she can be president regardless where the parents are born.


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because his parents were US citizens


Does a 1790 law prohibit anyone from being president if their parents are not us citizens?

No, a 1790 law does not prohibit anyone from being president if their parents are not US citizens. The natural-born citizen requirement for the presidency is specified in the US Constitution, not in any 1790 law. According to the Constitution, a person must be a natural-born citizen, at least 35 years old, and have been a resident of the United States for 14 years to be eligible for the presidency.


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Citizens of the US can vote for president in the US.


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Only US citizens can sponsor their parents to the US.


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The citizens of the District of Columbia.


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They have a president chosen be citizens.


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What section of the constitution says your parents have to be natural born citizens of in order for you to be president?

No part. Your parents can be born elsewhere, but you must be born in the US. Barack Obama's father was Kenyan, but President Barack Obama was born in Hawaii. This is spelled out in the Constitution,


Did president Hoovers parents become citizens of the United states?

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