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| - This matter pertained to Trump's executive order, titled "Protecting the Meaning and Value of American Citizenship." The order's authors made arguments about the 14th Amendment and set forth a policy that the government should not issue or recognize citizenship of children to parents who did not hold citizenship at the time of a child's birth. However, the order also said the rule would only apply to persons born in the U.S. in the future, not retroactively, beginning "30 days from the date of this order" — meaning Feb. 19. This policy, if enforced as written, would not impact Usha Vance.
A rumor circulating online in January 2025 claimed that an executive order signed by U.S. President Donald Trump on Jan. 20 would retroactively revoke the citizenship of second lady Usha Vance, the wife of Vice President JD Vance, as well as for all people born to parents did not hold U.S. citizenship at the time of a child's birth. Snopes readers asked us about this matter and shared a social media meme positing the claim.
For example, one X user wrote (archived) on Jan. 20, the same day as Trump's second inauguration: "NEW: JD Vance's wife, Usha Vance, will have her citizenship revoked if Trump signs his executive order banning birthright citizenship. Her parents were not US citizens at the time of her birth. Oops." Other social media users also shared the same claim on Facebook, Threads and X.
However, the rumor that Trump's executive order would retroactively revoke both Usha Vance's citizenship and the citizenship of other people in her situation was false. The order's text featured specific language specifying its citizenship policy would "apply only to persons who are born within the United States after 30 days from the date of this order." In other words, the Trump order, if enforced as written, would apply only to children born on or after Feb. 19, 2025. USA Today also reported this same information.
According to Reuters, Usha Vance's parents moved to the U.S. in the late 1970s and now teach engineering and molecular biology in San Diego. We did not immediately locate any information about when they obtained citizenship. Even so, that information would not change the fact that Usha Vance would not lose citizenship under the aforementioned Trump executive order.
Snopes contacted the White House by email to ask whether they had a statement to share about this misleading rumor, as well as whether Trump's administration had plans involving retroactive actions and citizenship. We will update this story if we receive a response.
Trump's Executive Order and 14th Amendment
Trump's first-day executive orders, signed on Jan. 20, included the one pertinent to the rumor at hand. That order (archived) was titled "Protecting the Meaning and Value of American Citizenship."
The order's authors began by presenting various arguments regarding the 14th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, an amendment dating back to the 1860s. For reference, the beginning of the 14th Amendment reads:
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.
Several paragraphs into Trump's executive order, the authors mentioned criteria regarding the issuance and recognition of documents related to U.S. citizenship, then mentioned the part specifying that the policy, if enforced as written, would not begin until 30 days from Jan. 20, on Feb. 19. We bolded that part below:
Sec. 2. Policy. (a) It is the policy of the United States that no department or agency of the United States government shall issue documents recognizing United States citizenship, or accept documents issued by State, local, or other governments or authorities purporting to recognize United States citizenship, to persons: (1) when that person's mother was unlawfully present in the United States and the person's father was not a United States citizen or lawful permanent resident at the time of said person's birth, or (2) when that person's mother's presence in the United States was lawful but temporary, and the person's father was not a United States citizen or lawful permanent resident at the time of said person's birth.
(b) Subsection (a) of this section shall apply only to persons who are born within the United States after 30 days from the date of this order.
The New York Times further said of the executive order: "The president cannot change the Constitution on his own, so it is not yet clear how Mr. Trump plans to withhold the benefits of citizenship to a group of people born in the United States. Any move is all but certain to be challenged in court."
The Associated Press wrote that, as of this publication, attorneys general from 22 states had already filed lawsuits to block the enforcement of Trump's policy.
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