Call it a looming clash of the titans, but conservative author, attorney and all-around firebrand Ann Coulter hit back hard at Bill O’Reilly’s characterization of the 14th Amendment, calling out “The O’Reilly Factor” Fox News star as “stupid” in a couple of tweets that followed his interview with Donald Trump.
Trump, in an interview with O’Reilly, insisted his platform of dumping the “anchor baby” provision from U.S. immigration policy would in fact prove both legal and viable. “Anchor baby” is a term used to describe the children of people who enter the country illegally with the purpose of having a son or daughter who would then be granted American citizenship.
O’Reilly, however, cited the 14th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, and said otherwise.
“That’s not going to happen because the 14th Amendment says if you’re born here, you’re an American,” O’Reilly said. “And you can’t kick Americans out. The courts would block you at every turn. You must know all that.”
Trump, citing his legal team, said simply: I think I can.
“I think you’re wrong about the 14th Amendment,” Trump said. “And frankly, the whole thing with ‘anchor babies’ and the concept of ‘anchor babies,’ I don’t think you’re right about that.”
But O’Reilly was vehement, ultimately claiming: “I can quote it. You want me to quote you the amendment? If you’re born here, you’re an American. Period. Period.”
The Fox host later added: “You are not going to be able to deport people who have American citizenship now. And the federal courts will never allow mass deportations without due process for each and every one. And do you envision federal police kicking in the doors in barrios around the country, dragging families out?”
But Trump held his ground on the citizenship issue.
“Bill, I don’t think that they have American citizenship,” he said. “And if you speak to some very, very good lawyers — and I know some would disagree, but many of them agree with me — you’re going to find they do not have American citizenship. We have to start a process where we take back our country. Our country is going to hell.”
That’s where Coulter kicked in.
In a tweet picked up by Mediaite, she wrote: “Just got off a plane and my email feed is exploding with denunciations of Bill O’Reilly for interview w/ @realDonaldTrump on ‘THE FACTOR.'”
She then followed with this Twitter message: “Sorry for delay. O’Reilly: ‘YOU WANT ME TO QUOTE YOU THE AMT? IF YOU’RE BORN HERE YOU’RE AN AMERICAN. PERIOD! PERIOD!’ #GoodGodHesStupid.”
Coulter followed with a scathing opinion piece posted at WND that pointed to the false narrative that’s been making the media waves, including at Fox News, about the history and intent of the 14th Amendment. In it, she cites her own research on Supreme Court precedence, cited in her recently released “Adios, America” book and concludes: “Our history and our Constitution are being perverted for the sole purpose of dumping immigrants on the country to take American jobs. So far, only Donald Trump is defending black history on the issue of the 14th Amendment. Fox News is using black people as a false flag to keep cheap Third World labor flowing.”
