An IMGW News Report
In a series of recent remarks, President Donald Trump has floated the idea of revoking the US citizenship of several public figures – Elon Musk, Zohran Mamdani, and Rosie O’Donnell – drawing widespread scrutiny over the limits of presidential power and the potential weaponisation of citizenship.
Musk and Mamdani are naturalised citizens – Musk from South Africa (2002), Mamdani from Uganda (2018). Trump claimed he’d “look into” deporting Musk, and labelled Mamdani a potential illegal immigrant, despite no legal basis for such a claim.
“Trump’s threats appear more performative than practical. Yet they may have a chilling effect”
O’Donnell, who was born in the US, was described by Trump on Truth Social as a “threat to humanity” and someone he’s “seriously considering” stripping of citizenship – a move experts say is constitutionally impossible. “No mechanism exists for revoking birthright citizenship without voluntary renunciation,” says Kansas-based immigration attorney Matthew Hoppock.
These comments follow a broader push by the Trump administration to expand denaturalisation – an arcane legal process once reserved for war criminals and fraudsters.
A Justice Department memo last month ordered federal attorneys to prioritise such cases against those who allegedly posed national security risks or committed fraud during naturalisation.
Five new cases have reportedly been filed since Trump returned to office, per DOJ spokesman Chad Gilmartin.
Still, experts stress the legal bar remains high. “Only a court can denaturalise, not the president,” said Muzaffar Chishti of the Migration Policy Institute. “What’s new here is the politicised rhetoric.”
Indeed, denaturalisation – historically rare – has averaged fewer than a dozen cases annually for decades, according to the Immigrant Legal Resource Center.
Trump’s threats appear more performative than practical. Yet they may have a chilling effect. “It’s not about the success of the case,” says Chishti, “it’s that exercising your right to speak could lead to a denaturalisation attempt. That’s deeply troubling.”
Legal scholars warn that using citizenship as a political cudgel risks undermining core democratic principles. Whether courts will serve as a bulwark against this executive overreach remains to be seen.
Sources: CNN, Justice Department Memo (2025), Migration Policy Institute, ILRC, US Code §1451, §1481, Cornell Law School
