Alex Bruno
Attendees at the US Air Force Academy leaped to their feet as one as Elon Musk was introduced, erupting into deafening clapping and shouts while many pulled out iPhones to record his speech. Donald Trump’s victory as president in 2016 was analogous to snatching lightning in a bottle, according to my argument. When Donald Trump was elected president of the United States, we saw a predictable ego-driven thought pattern among some of the billionaire class—Starbucks’ Howard Schutz and former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, among others—who seemed to be telling themselves, “Well if that clown can get elected as president of the United States, then surely I can.”
However, even if they spent millions of dollars of their own money, they wouldn’t be able to. The elusive “It” element eludes any of them. In the views of more than 74 million Americans who have cast ballots so far, Trump has that quality in spades. Many Americans have grown tired of the political careerists in both parties, and Trump’s win has made that a stunning reality. The candidate’s “It” factor, however, made it possible for him to win the election.
As of now, it is possible to claim that two persons who are not in the professional politician bubble have enough personality to at least upset the foundation of an election cycle. Joe Rogan, presenter of “The Joe Rogan Experience,” inked a $200 million contract with Spotify to broadcast his hugely popular show exclusively. Among certain Republicans, libertarians, and conservatives, it looks like Rogan’s impact is increasing by the day.
Elon Musk is the other party. Musk, on the other hand, was born in South Africa and only became a naturalized citizen of the United States in 2002, unlike Rogan. Those are those who aren’t allowed to run for president or vice president under the Constitution.
No one can argue with the fact that Musk is the richest person on the planet. Unafraid to speak his thoughts, and a disruptor of the established order. Many on the left have attacked him for his newest Twitter dalliance, which might result in a hostile takeover of the firm, while many on the right have defended him.
People have asked me what I think about the possibility of an Elon Musk presidency as a result. What they said when I told them that the Constitution prohibits this was, “Change it.” Is it necessary to change the Constitution to enable naturalized citizens to run for president and vice-president in the United States of America? I believe so, too. Everyone in the United States of America should be treated equally. However, neither I nor the rest of us have the authority to ignore the Constitution. To begin with, as stated in Section 1, Article II:
A natural-born citizen, or a citizen of the United States at the time this Constitution was ratified, shall not be eligible to serve as president; nor shall any person who has not been a resident of the United States for at least fourteen years be eligible to serve as president.
That sentence, ironically, reminds us that there was an exception to the rule. At the time of the Constitution’s ratification in 1788, anybody who was an immigrant to the United States was eligible to compete for president. There’s no reason to think otherwise 234 years later.
Additionally, our present system allows naturalized citizens to serve in Congress, the governorships, the flag officers of the military, and the Supreme Court justices, all of which contribute to the system’s injustice.
A hard endeavor even in good circumstances, amending the Constitution is. Even if an amendment allowing naturalized Americans to run for president or vice president were to pass with a two-thirds majority in the House and Senate and ratification by three-fourths of our states’ legislatures, the current political climate makes it unlikely. However, it should. Is it possible that Elon Musk will be elected president of the United States? Maybe, but there’s no way to tell. Because of that discriminating constitutional article, maybe we are all poorer.
Source: TheHill
