Staff Reports
Republican Senator Mike Lee has taken a stand against NBC News, calling out the network for what can only be described as a masterclass in selective editing when it comes to coverage of President-elect Donald Trump’s views on birthright citizenship. In a bold social media statement, Lee didn’t hold back, suggesting that NBC was on a mission to twist Trump’s words and distort the Constitution. The senator is not one to shy away from defending constitutional integrity, and he aired his grievances with NBC’s take on a recent “Meet the Press” episode featuring Trump.
During that Sunday showdown, Trump labeled birthright citizenship as “ridiculous” and boldly vowed to scrap it on his very first day in office. This proclamation, however, was met with pushback from NBC’s Kristen Welker, who questioned whether Trump could sidestep the 14th Amendment through executive action. In response, Trump pointed out that the United States is the sole country that offers such a birthright, pointing to a glaring anomaly in America’s immigration framework. Apparently, this did not sit well with NBC, which seemed more enamored with playing the role of constitutional gatekeeper than acting as an impartial news outlet.
Senator Lee, unfazed by the mainstream media’s antics, took to X (formerly Twitter) to defend not just Trump, but the Constitution itself. He highlighted that the 14th Amendment contains important qualifiers that suggest citizenship is not a universal guarantee for every newborn in America. With the magic words, “and subject to the jurisdiction thereof,” Lee argued that Congress has the constitutional authority to clarify who qualifies as being “born in the United States.” This doesn’t simply mean letting every child born of an illegal immigrant waltz into citizenship status without a second thought.
The senator’s thread laid out a tantalizing legal pathway that could redefine birthright citizenship. While current laws are indeed weak in this area, Lee suggested that Congress could wield its power to limit citizenship to those born on American soil who are, indeed, under U.S. jurisdiction. This is a clear rebuttal to the narrative that Congress is powerless in this matter, which many in the media would like to push.
It should be perfectly clear by now that @kwelkernbc and @NBCNews are sworn enemies of truth, justice, and the American way. If you watch NBC regularly you won't be able to tell because they're serving you mind-numbing pseudo-intellectual swill. https://t.co/w7NwDFMiV8
— Skip Press (@skippress) December 9, 2024
Closing out his criticism, Lee lamented that a once-revered program like “Meet the Press” has descended into one-sided reporting, further distancing itself from its own founding principles of honest discourse. His point was that by neglecting to mention crucial phrases from the Constitution, NBC was attempting to make a complex issue appear as though it had an irrefutable answer. It’s a classic case of media manipulation, and not the first time they’ve tried to paint Trump and conservative lawmakers in an unfavorable light.
While NBC has yet to comment on whether this omission was a deliberate choice, their handling of Trump’s interview only emphasizes the lengths to which the mainstream media will go to curtail any debate on issues vital to conservative America. The future of the country may indeed hinge on clarity around issues of citizenship and legality, but if the media can’t seem to report on them fairly, the national dialogue might just remain in a convoluted, and often ludicrous state of disarray.
