10
Loading video...
By Aleks Phillips
U.S. News Reporter
0
Share
Newsweek is a Trust Project member
See more of our trusted coverage when you search.Prefer Newsweek on Googleto see more of our trusted coverage when you search.
The announcement by Cenk Uygur, host of the progressive news and commentary outlet The Young Turks, that he is launching a bid for the Democratic nomination for president has been met with derision on social media.
"Yes, I'm running against Joe Biden for the Democratic nomination," Uygur wrote on X, formerly Twitter, late on Wednesday. "Joe Biden is down 24 points on the economy. He has no ability to make up that kind of ground on the most important issue. We need a new candidate now!"
The declaration came just two days after the incumbent president's main challenger for the party's nomination, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., told a rally in Philadelphia that he was pulling out of the race to run as an independent. Still trailing in the Democratic primary polls is other hopeful Marianne Williamson.
Read More on U.S.
However, many questioned Uygur's eligibility to run for the country's top job as a Turkish-born naturalized U.S. citizen, sparking a back-and-forth between the now-candidate and user-generated notes.
...
"You weren't born here so you aren't even allowed to run for president yet you're taking donations under the premise that you are?" Robby Starbuck, a former Republican congressional candidate, wrote. "Sounds like fraud Cenk! Not a smart move."
"Cenk was born in Turkey and is Constitutionally ineligible to be President," Joshua Reed Eakle, marketing director of Students for Liberty, commented. "This is a grift."
Meanwhile, another user responded: "Thanks so much Cenk—given the events of the week we all needed a good laugh."
Newsweek approached the Uygur campaign via email for comment on Thursday.
As mentioned in a community note below Uygur's announcement on X, Article 2, Section 1 of the U.S. Constitution limits those who can hold the office of president to "natural born" citizens, as well as those aged over 35 who have been resident in the U.S. for 14 years. Uygur was born in Istanbul and is currently aged 53; he emigrated to America in the 1970s.
"Case law is clear," he said in response to claims he was ineligible for the presidency. "Naturalized citizens can run for President."
Uygur cited a 2006 University of Illinois at Chicago law review paper on the topic, which discussed the 1964 Supreme Court case of Schneider v. Rusk, in which justices found it was unconstitutional to discriminate against naturalized citizens.
"Schneider is clear that treating natural born citizens and naturalized citizens differently is contrary to the Fifth Amendment," the article reads. "Forbidding naturalized citizens from being president or vice president is a form of discrimination that limits their options and treats them as second-class citizens."
However, Uygur faced another community note, which said that the case had not been recognized or upheld by the Supreme Court or any other legislative body regarding naturalized citizens running for president, suggesting he would have to challenge the constitution in a Supreme Court case to run.
"Winning this case in the Supreme Court is going to get rid of the albatross around the neck of 25 million Americans who are naturalized citizens," Uygur added.
He told The Hill that he had already enlisted the help of a lawyer and speculated that he was "going to have some strong allies in this," mentioning Arnold Schwarzenegger, the Austrian-born former Governor of California who was once tipped for a presidential run.
Uygur faced criticism for the decision to run on his own show. Appearing on The Young Turks following the announcement, fellow host and political commentator Ana Kasparian questioned how his candidacy would lead to a viable alternative to Biden's likely renomination.
"I really fail to understand how any potential Democratic candidate would see your run as a sign that they need to enter the race," she told him.
"We have to knock Biden out," Uygur responded. "We're not supposed to bow down to authority; we're supposed to challenge authority."
View 0 Comments
Submit Correction
View Editorial & AI Guidelines