ESPN analyst and prominent Democrat Stephen A. Smith offered a surprising take on birthright citizenship during his show Straight Shooter with Stephen A. Smith, just a day after the Supreme Court heard oral arguments on the issue.
Smith noted that the president’s decision to attend the arguments, the first time any sitting president has done so, signals a focus on domestic policy amid criticism that he prioritizes foreign affairs, and went on to challenge his audience to reconsider whether birthright citizenship should continue as it currently exists.
🚨 Stephen A. Smith dropped a SURPRISING take on birthright citizenship.
— Overton (@overton_news) April 2, 2026
“When the president walked in to the Supreme Court...to attend oral arguments...I’m here to tell you ladies and gentlemen, I don’t blame him.”
Smith then asked his audience the uncomfortable question about… pic.twitter.com/o5c0EwpiAM
"The issue that I wanted to get into is birthright citizenship by simply asking this question. When the president walked into the Supreme Court today, the first time in us history that a sitting American president walked into the courts to attend oral arguments at the Supreme Court, staying for over an hour, according to the reports. To hear their thoughts, their questions, their inquiry, their opinions on birthright citizenship in the United States of America. How'd you feel about that?" Smith asked. "I'm here to tell you, ladies and gentlemen, I don't blame him."
"He campaigned on this issue. He's been accused of not paying attention to stuff that's happening on our home soil. You want to do something politically expedient to your benefit. If you're President, Donald Trump, this is the fight you fight because millions of Americans flow with him on this issue," he continued. "And the reason why it's an issue that's important to tackle is because remember what the 14th Amendment of the United States Constitution states. Remember what it states. Birthright citizenship in the United States of America established by the 14th Amendment of the United States Constitution. All persons born or naturalized in the United States and subject to the jurisdiction thereof are citizens of the United States. Meaning if you are born on us soil, you are a U.S. citizen automatically. Automatically."
Smith went on to cast doubt on what many of his listeners understand as the historical application of birthright citizenship in the United States.
Here's the part that we have to ask ourselves. And this is where the conversation gets uncomfortable. Do you believe in birthright citizenship? As an American citizen, do you believe that somebody that crosses our borders illegally to give birth on American soil, that their children, their newborns, should automatically be an American citizen. According to the United States Constitution, there is no argument there. What I'm asking you is, is it right? Should it happen?
According to the Trump administration, it should not. Republicans have pointed to examples like Chinese birth tourism and illegal immigration as ways the current system is being exploited, arguing that both foreign adversaries and those seeking easier access to the United States are undermining the meaning of American citizenship.
This comes after a recent Pew Research study found that in 2023, nearly 10 percent of newborns in the U.S. were born to non-citizens.
The Supreme Court heard oral arguments on Wednesday, but even conservative justices expressed skepticism about the Trump administration’s reasoning, with several noting that the proposed definition may not uphold the 14th Amendment’s original intent.