Donald Trump Stokes Birther Theory About Kamala Harris, and Social Media Sounds Off

President Donald Trump on Thursday sparked criticism on social media after he stoked a "birther" conspiracy theory about Sen. Kamala Harris. Speaking at a White House press briefing, the president questioned the eligibility of Harris to be vice president, pushing a theory that has long been considered racist by critics.

Holy shit. Trump pushes a baseless, birther-style theory about Kamala Harris that holds she's not a citizen because birthright citizenship isn't a thing.

"I just heard it today that she doesn't meet the requirements ... I have no idea if that's right." pic.twitter.com/ZIXYrleuVf

— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) August 13, 2020

The president pushed the theory, which questions Harris' birthplace when asked about a recent conservative law professor who questioned the VP nominee's eligibility. The president told reporters that he had "just heard it today that she doesn't meet the requirements" and noted that "the lawyer that wrote that piece is a very highly qualified, very talented lawyer." According to BBC, he went on to acknowledge how he had "no idea if that's right."

"I would have assumed the Democrats would have checked that out before she gets chosen to run for vice-president," he added. "But that's a very serious, you're saying that they're saying that she doesn't qualify because she wasn't born in this country."

His remarks came after Trump campaign advisor Jenna Ellis reposted a tweet from Tom Fitton, the president of the conservative group Judicial Watch, questioning if Harris is "ineligible to be Vice President under the U.S. Constitution's 'Citizenship Clause.'" That tweet also shared the article Trump was questioned about, written by John Eastman, a law professor at Chapman University in California.

Despite the theories and the president's questioning of Harris' eligibility, the California senator was Oakland, California on Oct. 20, 1964. As such, she meets the Constitution's requirements to serve as vice president or president and is therefore eligible for the role she is currently nominated for. The fact that her parents were immigrants – her father was from Jamaica and her mother from India – does not change the fact that she is a natural-born U.S. citizen.

This marks just the latest example of the president pushing a birther conspiracy theory. He had long questioned former President Barack Obama's eligibility for the presidency, first pushing the theory that Obama, the first Black president, didn't have a birth certificate, in 2011. He later backed away from that theory, though the most recent birther theory regarding Harris is being met with plenty of backlash on social media.