NEW YORK — A day after Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) said he would renounce his newly discovered Canadian citizenship, Donald Trump praised Cruz as a “real American” and reaffirmed his doubts about President Obama’s citizenship.
“Senator Cruz gained our nation’s trust by releasing his birth certificate, and he became a true American by waving good bye to his Canadian citizenship,” stated Trump in a surprise appearance on CNN.
Trump, an outspoken supporter of birther conspiracies aimed at President Obama, added that Sen. Cruz’s “transparency” only furthered his doubts about “the secrets of that black guy posing as our president.”
Sen. Cruz’s birth certificate showed that he was born in Calgary, Alberta to an American mother, a fact which Canadian lawyers said makes him a dual citizen of both Canada and the United States.
“To be honest, I didn’t even know Canadians had their own citizenship,” admitted Cruz, a tea party favorite who is already being touted as a major contender in the 2016 presidential bid.
“Because I was a U.S. citizen at birth, because I left Calgary when I was 4 and have lived my entire life since then in the U.S., and because I have never taken affirmative steps to claim Canadian citizenship, I assumed that was the end of the matter,” he added.
President Obama released his own birth certificate in 2011 in order to quell rumors raised by conservative opponents that he was born outside of the U.S. Trump claimed that the details of Cruz’s citizenship prove that he is “more American than Obama, even if Obama’s story about Hawaii is actually true.”
“[Sen. Cruz] is obviously American. Even though his name kinda, sorta sounds Mexican, it also sounds cool. Like Tom Cruise, another fine American,” Trump said.
“Obama, on the other hand. Well, I’d argue that Hawaii is less American than Canada. It’s definitely a lot farther way. Plus, I think the name thing is obvious. How can a natural citizen have a name like that?”
Until Cruz’s renouncement his of Canadian citizenship becomes official, he is technically allowed to hold office in Canadian Parliament, although he laughed off questions asking whether or not he would ever consider doing so.
“I have to admit, though, their healthcare system is worse than Obamacare. Perhaps I could try the old parliamentary shutdown north of the border. Wouldn’t that be something?”