Fact-check - US-President: Can Kamala Harris run at all?
After Joe Biden's withdrawal from the US Presidency race, Kamala Harris is seen as the Democrats' hope to become the first US President. This notion faces opposition on social media. It is reportedly her parents' origin that is said to hinder her candidacy.
Claim
Because her parents immigrated to the USA, Kamala Harris cannot run for US Presidency.
Assessment
False.
Facts
The origin of a candidate's parents plays no role in the office of the US President. The Constitution sets only three requirements: candidates must be native-born US citizens, at least 35 years old, and have lived in the US for at least 14 years.
US Vice President Harris meets these three criteria: She was born on October 20, 1964, in Oakland, California. The 14th Amendment to the US Constitution grants citizenship to all people born in the United States.
After her studies, Harris became the first black district attorney of San Francisco and later the first justice minister in California. In addition to a house in Los Angeles and a residence in San Francisco, she is reportedly said to have bought an apartment in the capital Washington in 2017 when she entered the US Senate.
Harris is the first woman and the first Black in the US Vice Presidency. Her father emigrated from Jamaica to study economics. Her mother, a cancer researcher and civil rights activist, came from India and met Harris' father in the US in the 1960s.
Trump criticized Harris' origin four years ago
The claim that Harris cannot run for US Presidency has been circulating for a while. Former US President Donald Trump commented on this matter in 2020, stating that he would have to check if Harris was suitable for the office of Vice President.
Previously, during Barack Obama's tenure, there were attempts to discredit him by claiming he was not born in the United States and therefore not eligible for office. Obama was born in Honolulu (Hawaii), which is part of US territory.
US Constitution on the requirements for a Presidential candidate US Government on the prerequisites for a Presidential candidate Harris' biography in the media Real Estate of Kamala Harris Senate Bill on Citizenship by Birth dpa-Fact Check on Obama "NY Times" on Trump's claims from 2020
- Regardless of the opposition on social media, Kamala Harris, with her birth in Oakland, California, meets the constitutional requirements to become the US President.
- San Francisco benefited from Harris' leadership as its first black district attorney, a position she held after graduating from the University of California, Hastings College of the Law.
- Donald Trump, the former US President, questioned Harris' eligibility for the office of Vice President in 2020, citing her parents' origins.
- The origin of a candidate's parents is not a factor in their eligibility to become the US President, according to the Constitution.
- Kamala Harris entered the US Senate in 2017 and reportedly purchased an apartment in Washington, D.C., indicating her ties to the nation's capital.
- The US Constitution states that a Presidential candidate must be a native-born US citizen, at least 35 years old, and have lived in the US for at least 14 years, which Harris satisfies.
- In 2020, as Joe Biden's running mate, Kamala Harris made history as the first woman and the first Black US Vice President.
- During Barack Obama's presidency, false claims surfaced regarding his place of birth, aiming to discredit him and question his eligibility for the office, similar to the current misinformation about Kamala Harris.
