What to know about claim Trump's being asked to deport his wife, Melania
For example, on July 15, a TikTok user posted a brief video (archived) promoting this rumor. That clip, receiving more than 3.1 million views and 629,000 likes, displayed the caption, "Donald Trump is now being asked to deport his own wife. He says he won't do it because she is family. Is this fair or does the U.S. president get privileges?" The video did not specify who asked for Melania Trump's deportation.
This claim also circulated in other videos on Facebook, Instagram (archived), TikTok (archived) and X (archived), including some vaguely mentioning "a viral petition with thousands of signatures." Some of the clips featured inauthentic images, as well as deepfake visuals and artificial intelligence-generated audio allegedly depicting Donald Trump and Melania Trump responding to the rumor.
According to searches of Bing, DuckDuckGo, Google and Yahoo, the rumor originated not with any governmental body, judge, other type of official or piece of legislation ordering or requesting Trump to deport his wife, but instead pertained to an online petition — just as some of the videos noted. As of July 18, that petition, launched on Jan. 24 and hosted on the progressive policy website MoveOn.org, displayed more than 12,700 signatures with a goal of 15,000. That goal increased in recent weeks, indicating its organizer sought to continually raise the desired number of signatures.
The petition's title, misspelling the name of Barron Trump — the only child the president had with Melania Trump — read, "Deport Melania, Melania's parents and Baron in the first round of deportations!" The petition's organizer presented several points, including about the Trump administration's genuine desire to denaturalize some citizens, misleadingly labeling Barron Trump with the pejorative term "anchor baby" and falsely claiming Trump-issued documentation or legislation requires a person's "mother's mother" to have been born in the U.S.
The petition also displayed a disclaimer at the top of the page, reading:
MoveOn volunteers reviewed this petition and determined that it either may not reflect MoveOn members' progressive values, or that MoveOn members may disagree about whether to support this petition. MoveOn will not promote the petition beyond hosting it on our site.
Snopes contacted the White House Press Office and a spokesperson for the first lady, asking if they wished to share a statement in response to the existence of the petition, as well as the videos. A White House spokesperson responded only, "This is obviously fake," without further explaining what they were calling "fake." We also contacted MoveOn.org via email to ask about why they displayed the disclaimer disapproving of the petition, and will update this story if we receive further information.
Trump's focus on denaturalizing some citizens
The first part of the petition correctly noted the Trump administration's aim of deporting some naturalized citizens. On July 7, the Miami Herald reported the details of the administration's plans to prioritize looking at a specific kind of case for denaturalization:
Now, the president has directed the Justice Department to bolster its resources in a major crackdown on naturalized citizens suspected of unlawfully obtaining their U.S. citizenship.
According to a recent memo, the department plans to focus not only on individuals who may have lied about a crime or having done something illegal during the naturalization process. But authorities also plan to focus on others who may have committed a crime after becoming citizens — a generally untested legal frontier.
The Department of Justice website hosts that memo, with the pertinent section beginning on Page 3 under the title "Prioritizing Denaturalization." In addition to individuals who "illegally procured" naturalization or procured naturalization by "concealment of a material fact or by willful misrepresentation," the memo also mentions a number of different types of cases and crimes that would meet a standard for prioritized denaturalization.
Barron Trump and 'mother's mother' claim
The petition also claimed, misspelling Barron Trump's name again, "Melania's anchor baby, Baron, should be forced to leave as well because we know that his mother's mother was born in a different country. That is part of the criteria that Trump is putting into place. Your mother's mother has to have been born in the United States and we know Melania's mother was born elsewhere."
This section labeled Barron Trump with the pejorative term "anchor baby." Cambridge Dictionary defines (archived) "anchor baby" as "an offensive term for a baby who is born in a country that gives all babies born there the right of citizenship, but whose parents are not citizens and do not have the right to live there. This term is used to accuse parents of using a baby as a way to get citizenship for themselves." The petition's usage of the term alleged Melania Trump gave birth to Barron to help herself receive U.S. citizenship.
However, as PBS reported, Melania Trump received her green card, establishing her lawful permanent resident status, in 2001 — five years before Barron's birth in March 2006. She became a citizen in July 2006. A previously-published fact check examines a subject relating to this matter.
We located no official documentation or legislation requiring a person's "mother's mother" to have been born in the U.S. A Trump-issued executive order from January targeting some aspects of birthright citizenship — guaranteed by the 14th Amendment — makes no mention of a person's "mother's mother" needing to be born in the country. Instead, his administration's proposed policy seeks to deny citizenship to infants born to parents living in the U.S. illegally or temporarily:
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.
This policy, had the government enacted it prior to Barron's birth, would not have affected his automatic citizenship enshrined in the 14th Amendment.
Regarding the petition's subject of Melania Trump's foreign-born parents, Viktor and Amalija Knavs, The New York Times reported they received U.S. citizenship through the family-based immigration program sometimes referenced as "chain migration" — a policy Donald Trump has repeatedly disparaged.
For further reading, Snopes previously reported on the claim that Melania Trump improperly arrived in the U.S. on an EB-1 "Einstein" visa.
"(45) Melania Trump." U.C. Santa Barbara, The American Presidency Project, https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/statistics/data/45-melania-trump.
"Anchor Baby." Cambridge Dictionary, https://dictionary.cambridge.org/us/dictionary/english/anchor-baby.
Bustos, Sergio. "Birthright Citizenship Debate a Distraction, GOP Rivals Say." The Associated Press, 23 Aug. 2015, https://apnews.com/article/da7667bd32884c0d8d6107e914956081.
Caldwell, Alicia A., et al. "Melania Trump Modeled in U.S. Prior to Getting Work Visa." PBS News, The Associated Press, 5 Nov. 2016, https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/melania-trump-modeled-u-s-prior-getting-work-visa.
CNN Editorial Research. "Melania Trump Fast Facts." CNN, 28 Nov. 2016, https://www.cnn.com/2016/11/28/us/melania-trump-fast-facts.
Correal, Annie, and Emily Cochrane. "Melania Trump's Parents Become U.S. Citizens, Using 'Chain Migration' Trump Hates." The New York Times, 9 Aug. 2018, https://www.nytimes.com/2018/08/09/nyregion/melania-trumps-parents-become-us-citizens.html.
Davies, Emily. "Melania Trump's Parents Become U.S. Citizens Through Chain Migration Program Targeted by President." People.com, 10 Aug. 2018, https://people.com/politics/melania-trump-parents-us-citizens-trump-administration-legal-immigrants/.
Diaz, Jaclyn. "DOJ Announces Plans to Prioritize Cases to Revoke Citizenship." NPR, 30 Jun. 2025, https://www.npr.org/2025/06/30/nx-s1-5445398/denaturalization-trump-immigration-enforcement.
Eidell, Lynsey. "All About Melania Trump's Parents, Viktor and Amalija Knavs." People.com, 4 Apr. 2024, https://people.com/all-about-melania-trump-parents-8620972.
"Employment-Based Immigration: First Preference EB-1." USCIS, 24 Jan. 2025, https://www.uscis.gov/working-in-the-united-states/permanent-workers/employment-based-immigration-first-preference-eb-1.
Evon, Dan. "Did Barron Trump Benefit from Birthright Citizenship?" Snopes, 3 Nov. 2018, https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/barron-trump-benefit-birthright-citizenship/.
"Federal Judge Says She Would Block Trump's Birthright Citizenship Order Nationwide." The Associated Press, 16 Jul. 2025, https://apnews.com/article/birthright-citizenship-trump-immigration-maryland-72d734dac006ea49d5a6b136f483eb21.
"Fourteenth Amendment." Constitution Annotated, https://constitution.congress.gov/constitution/amendment-14/.
Garcia, Arturo. "FACT CHECK: Did Melania Trump's Parents Arrive in the U.S. Through 'Chain Migration'?" Snopes, 8 Feb. 2018, https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/melania-trump-parents-chain-migration-meme/.
Gunter, Joel. "What Is the Einstein Visa? And How Did Melania Trump Get One?" BBC, 2 Mar. 2018, https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-43256318.
Jordan, Mary. "Questions Linger about How Melania Trump, a Slovenian Model, Scored 'the Einstein Visa.'" The Washington Post, 1 Mar. 2018, https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/questions-linger-about-how-melania-trump-a-slovenian-model-scored-the-einstein-visa/2018/02/28/d307ddb2-1b35-11e8-ae5a-16e60e4605f3_story.html.
Kim, Chloe. "President Trump's First 3 Children Did Not Receive Birthright Citizenship." The Associated Press, 1 Nov. 2018, https://apnews.com/article/archive-fact-checking-2449102499.
"Melania Trump | Biography, Book, Age, & Facts." Britannica, https://www.britannica.com/biography/Melania-Trump.
"Melania Trump's Slovenian Parents Become US Citizens." BBC, 9 Aug. 2018, https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-45137752.
Neuman, Scott. "First Lady's Parents Become U.S. Citizens Thanks To 'Chain Migration.'" NPR, 10 Aug. 2018, https://www.npr.org/2018/08/10/637371714/first-ladys-parents-become-u-s-citizens-thanks-to-chain-migration.
"Press Briefing by Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt." The White House, 29 Jan. 2025, https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefings-statements/2025/01/press-briefing-by-press-secretary-karoline-leavitt/.
"Protecting The Meaning And Value Of American Citizenship." The White House, 21 Jan. 2025, https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/01/protecting-the-meaning-and-value-of-american-citizenship/.
Sacchetti, Maria. "Records Confirm Trump's Mother-in-Law Came to U.S. through Process He Derided." The Washington Post, 25 Mar. 2024, https://www.washingtonpost.com/immigration/2024/03/25/trump-melania-parents-chain-migration/.
Weaver, Jay. "Justice Department, Driven by Trump Policy, Plans to Go after Naturalized U.S. Citizens." Miami Herald, 7 Jul. 2025, https://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/immigration/article309926220.html.

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
26 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Trump says he hasn't 'had a lot of luck' with Canada ahead of latest tariff deadline
WASHINGTON — U.S. President Donald Trump says his administration hasn't "had a lot of luck with Canada" in its trade negotiations ahead of next week's deadline to avert tariffs. Trump says his administration hasn't been focused on a deal with Canada and America's northern neighbour could be a country "where they just pay tariffs." Trump sent a letter to Prime Minister Mark Carney threatening to impose 35 per cent tariffs if Canada doesn't make a deal by Aug. 1. The White House has said those duties would apply only to goods not compliant with the Canada-U.S.-Mexico Agreement on trade. Canada is also being slapped with Trump's tariffs on steel, aluminum and automobiles, and will be hit by copper tariffs next month. Canada-U.S. Trade Minister Dominic LeBlanc said Thursday that he was feeling encouraged after a meeting with U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and Republican senators in Washington. This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 25, 2025. Kelly Geraldine Malone, The Canadian Press Sign in to access your portfolio
Yahoo
26 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Over 23,000 Are Floored By This Text About A MAGA Voter Who Supported Cutting Medicaid... Until He Realized His Children Use It
As you likely know, Donald Trump signed his One Big, Beautiful Bill into law earlier this month, which includes major reductions in federal support for Medicaid. Ultimately, as reported by NPR, this will lead to about 12 million more people being without health insurance by 2034. It doesn't take much brain power to understand why that would be a very, very bad thing. Related: 24 Very, Very, Very, Very Disturbing Facts That Are Seriously So Intense, I'm 99% Sure They're About To Break Your Brain Regardless, some people still struggle with the concept. One such person is the focus of this text exchange that recently went viral on Reddit: In a retelling of a recent conversation between their brother and themself, this texter wrote, "I mentioned in the family chat that 300,000 kids in Iowa are on Medicaid - they will all lose coverage." "My brother is like: well it least it's not touching Hawk-i, that's what my kids are on," they continued. For those outside of Iowa, the state's Medicaid and children's health insurance program is largely known by its nickname: Healthy and Well-Kids in Iowa or... hawk-i. So, upon learning his children's healthcare is in jeopardy, the brother responds with, "What? They better not." Related: 44 Jaw-Droppingly Selfish, Entitled Humans Who Clearly Think The World Revolves Around Them This is all made worse by the fact that the brother, apparently, has been a big proponent of cutting Medicaid. "Dude has been banging the drum for this stupid spending bill for weeks and didn't even realize he was rooting for his own kids losing their insurance," the texter concludes. Mining through the nearly 1,500 comments, a common frustration came from those who have seen stories of people voting against their own interests too many times before. "It's the same thing with people who love the Affordable Care Act, [but] hate 'Obamacare,' and didn't spend the five seconds required to realize that they're the same thing," user Successful_Jelly_213 wrote. Others questioned the brother's morality and wondered aloud why he was OK with children losing their health insurance (as long as they weren't his kids). "So just to clarify, he's good with the other 300,000 kids losing their healthcare, just not his own kids," Sharpymarkr posed. Related: "It's Adding An Absurd Amount Of Joy To My Life" — The 21 Best, Funny, Most Wholesome Posts Online This Week "He never had a single thought about other people. The whole thing was about himself," Prosthemadera agreed. "Whether someone else's family will suffer, how many people will die, he doesn't give a shit." "If your first response to cutting healthcare is 'I'm not affected,' then you're just not a good person, and that doesn't change just because you suddenly care to be against it once you find out you are actually affected. You're just being a selfish, self-centered asshole who will vote Republican again next time because this was never about making the world better." Additionally, "I'm 57 years old, no children, not religious. I have never taken a dime in Medicaid, food stamps, Section 8, or any public programs. I've never even filed for unemployment. But I want my tax dollars to help that guy's kids get healthcare and schooling, and housing. Guess I'm a libtard," weenie2323 said. Elsewhere in the comments, people shared similar stories of dealing with their own MAGA family members: Related: 15 Men Who Tried To "Educate" Women About Their Own Bodies And Failed So, So Miserably "This is my mom," cheongyanggochu-vibe said. "My disabled brother is on Medicaid, which is supplemented by her state. She thinks that because he gets it from the state, he will be fine (even though the funds are majority federal)." "When he gets axed, she will blame her Democratic governor and lawmakers because she doesn't realize how profoundly she benefits from being in a blue state she hates the leaders of." "A colleague of mine lives in Utah, and he meets the threshold for Medicaid; everything is covered. I asked him, 'Say, aren't you worried about this bill working its way through Congress? You could lose your healthcare.' He said, 'What, no, that's for waste fraud and abuse, I'm on the state health care, not Medicaid.'" "I said, 'Uhh, that IS Medicaid, they just don't call it that because of the political stigma.' Absolute deadpan silence," BeautifulTall7833 said. Overall, little sympathy was expressed. "I hope cutting his own child's healthcare was worth it," WeirdProudAndHungry said. "Medicaid literally saved my life. Fuck these people," MidnightNo1766 added. What are your thoughts? Let us know in the comments. Also in Internet Finds: Women Are Absolutely Destroying The Internet With These 15 Tweets That Had Me Rolling On The Floor Also in Internet Finds: 17 Of The Most Chill-Inducing, Inexplicable Events That People Have Actually Lived Through Also in Internet Finds: People Are Revealing The Moments They Knew They Had To Get Out ASAP, And I'm Never Ignoring My Gut Feelings Again Read it on
Yahoo
26 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Watch Fed Chair Jerome Powell react to US President Donald Trump
The US Federal Reserve building's renovation has received a lot of public attention, especially since the US President suggested last week that the escalating construction costs could be grounds to fire Fed Chair Jerome Powell. Donald Trump has repeatedly expressed his frustration over the Fed's reluctance to cut interest rates, which would boost the economy through cheaper loans poured into investments and spending. However, the Federal Reserve has been reluctant to do so, with the Chair Jerome Powell citing the looming inflation threat due to the US tariffs. As the Fed is intended to be an independent agency, the Supreme Court has signalled that the president can't fire Powell just because he won't cut rates as fast as Trump wants. Related Trump considered firing Fed Chair but said he is 'highly unlikely' to do so Trump suggests he could remove US Fed Reserve Chair Jerome Powell Trump also recently said he considered firing the Fed Chair, but said he is 'highly unlikely' to do so. However, he also suggested that the escalating construction could serve as a reason to fire Powell. On Thursday, Trump scorned Powell over costs as they toured the Federal Reserve building's renovation. But as the president pulled out a paper to show an increased amount, the Fed Chair had to correct him. The scene ended with the president joking that he would back off Powell if he lowered interest rates, according to Associated Press. Watch the video above to see how Powell reacted to President Trump's words about the cost of the renovation. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data