MSNBC host Joy Reid issued a stark warning to President Donald Trump, suggesting that his aggressive immigration policies and efforts to expand presidential powers could one day backfire—potentially putting even his own family at risk of deportation.
On Thursday’s episode of The ReidOut, Reid spoke with Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-WA) and discussed the broader implications of Trump’s latest immigration moves, including his visit to the newly opened Florida detention facility for undocumented immigrants, nicknamed “Alligator Alcatraz.”
“If you give the president monarchical powers to say, ‘I don’t like your politics, I don’t like that you’re too liberal, I’m taking away your citizenship,’ well—what’s to stop the next Democratic president from doing the same?” Reid asked. “They could say, ‘I don’t like Melania Trump. She’s a naturalized citizen. She’s outta here.’”
Melania Trump, who was born in Slovenia in 1970, became a U.S. citizen in 2006. Questions about her early immigration status have long circulated, including speculation over how she obtained her green card in 2001. These unresolved issues have often fueled public scrutiny and conspiracy theories.
Reid continued her point by referencing Trump’s late ex-wife, Ivana Trump, who was a Czech national. “Three of her children—Don Jr., Eric, and Ivanka—had a foreign-born mother. Maybe a future president decides, ‘I don’t like the Trumps. Let’s denaturalize all of them.’”
The comments come amid Trump’s dramatic expansion of immigration enforcement. While touring the controversial Alligator Alcatraz facility this week, Trump made headlines by suggesting he is open to deporting not just undocumented immigrants—but even U.S. citizens.
“They’re not new here. Many were born here. But maybe it’s time to get them out, too,” Trump said, referring to naturalized and birthright citizens. The remark followed a Justice Department memo stating that prosecutors can now pursue denaturalization cases against certain criminal defendants.
Reid noted the dangers of such a precedent, especially given the complex family histories of many public figures, including Trump allies. For example, she pointed out that Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s grandfather faced a deportation order in the 1960s but ultimately remained in the U.S.
Rep. Maxine Waters had previously echoed similar sentiments, arguing that if Trump wants to crack down on immigration records, he should “start by looking at Melania’s paperwork.”
“We don’t even know whether her parents were documented when they came here,” Waters said during a rally. “If Trump wants transparency, that’s where he should begin.”
Trump has also come under fire for false claims about New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani, whom he wrongly accused of being in the U.S. illegally. Mamdani, a Ugandan-born American of South Asian descent, is a naturalized citizen.
Reid concluded her warning with a blunt message: “Trump is opening a massive door. If he’s okay with revoking citizenship based on personal or political dislike, then he should be prepared for future leaders to use that same power against him—and his own family.”
