Wolf Blitzer’s Powerful Reminder of American Citizenship

Introduction

I am publishing a four-part series to highlight our 250th anniversary, Each article stands alone, but together they will tell a larger story about our American experiment and reinforce the themes of American democracy, especially in the midst of the damage to our country as described in The Trump Files.

Here is the list of four blog posts whiich will be published here over the next four days.

1. Wolf Blitzer’s Powerful Reminder of American Citizenship
2. The Birthday that should have been
3. What a person from the 2060s would say about the 250th Anniversary of our country
4. Rooted in Silence: My Family’s Legacy of Immigration, Adoption and Identity

I happened to be listening to Blitzer talk about the Supreme Court’s 6-3 decision in Trump v. Barbara. The Court had reaffirmed birthright citizenship under the Fourteenth Amendment meaning that if you are born or naturalized on American soil, you are a citizen of the U.S. Blitzer very quietly said, “Just like the rest of us.”

Those words carried extraordinary meaning.

The Fourteenth Amendment was adopted after the Civil War to answer a question that had nearly destroyed the nation: Who belongs?

Its answer was revolutionary. Anyone born on American soil is an American citizen. We all do if born here.

It’s a very simple and straightforward statement as shown here:

All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside. No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws. Source: U.S. Constitution, 14th Amendment, Section 1.

Donald Trump’s attempt to narrow that constitutional guarantee was about far more than immigration policy. It was an effort to substitute presidential power for constitutional authority. The Supreme Court reminded the nation that presidents inherit the Constitution—they do not rewrite it. Trump’s attempt to harm people born in the U.S. was due to his outright racism against anyone that has a skin color different than him. The deportation of thousands of hard working people who are undocumented immigrants is a concrete example of his cruelty and racism. There are many examples of Trump’s racism. Perhaps the most egregious one is his claim that President Obama was not bvrn in the United States. I wrote about this to explore the depth of Trump’s racism in the birther lie, a vicious untruth that he propagated for decades. President Obama was born on American soil.

That reminder could not have come at a better moment. Birtherism wasn’t really about a birth certificate. It was about belonging — about who counted as authentically American. And that is what the 14th Amendment settled in the 19th Century.

As you and I celebrate 250 years of independence, we should remember that our greatness has never depended upon a single leader. It has depended upon the endurance of constitutional principles.

• The Declaration of Independence announced the ideal of equality.
• The Constitution created a government capable of pursuing that ideal.
• The Fourteenth Amendment expanded the promise to millions who had previously been denied it.

Each generation has been asked whether America will become a larger democracy or a smaller one.

This Independence Day, the Constitution answered once again.

The words that linger are not those of judges or politicians.

They are Wolf Blitzer’s simple reminder:

After hearing that the Court had reaffirmed birthright citizenship¹ under the Fourteenth Amendment, Blitzer simply said:

“Just like the rest of us.”

Wolf Blitzer

Those words carried extraordinary meaning.

The Fourteenth Amendment was adopted after the Civil War to answer a question that had nearly destroyed the nation: Who belongs? Donald Trump is trying to destroy the nation. On his first day in office in 2025, he issued an Executive Order trying to change the 14th Amendment. He lost on his attempt determine whose in and who doesn’t get in.

Its answer was revolutionary. Anyone born on American soil is an American citizen.

“Just like the rest of us.”

Perhaps no better tribute could have been offered on America’s 250th birthday.

Summay

On the eve of America’s 250th birthday, the Supreme Court’s reaffirmation of birthright citizenship highlighted the nation’s core values. I heard CNN’s Wolf Blitzer encapsulate this moment with the phrase “Just like the rest of us,” emphasizing the Fourteenth Amendment’s groundbreaking principle that anyone born on U.S. soil is a citizen. This decision countered Donald Trump’s efforts to undermine constitutional authority, reaffirming that presidents do not rewrite the Constitution. As America celebrates its independence, it is reminded that greatness lies in constitutional principles, not individual leaders, fostering a larger democracy.