LISTEN: John Sauer Says 'I Think So' When Asked if Native Americans Are Birthright Citizens

[BumRushDaShow]

Source: MEDIAite

Apr 1st, 2026, 1:15 pm


U.S. Solicitor General John Sauer stumbled over his words on Wednesday, saying “I think so” when after Justice Neil Gorsuch asked if Native Americans are birthright citizens. The moment came as Sauer presented the Trump administration’s case to the Supreme Court in President Donald Trump’s legal crusade to overturn birthright citizenship.

“Do you think Native Americans today are birthright citizens under your test and under your friend’s test?” Gorsuch asked at one point in his questioning. “Uh, I think so?” Sauer responded.

After dancing around the question, which Gorsuch asked two more times, Sauer finally admitted, “I think so, on our test. If they were lawfully domiciled here. I have to think that through, but that’s my reaction.” “I’ll take the yes, that’s all right,” Gorsuch said as laughter was heard.

Gorsuch was appointed to the bench by Trump in 2017, following the death of Antonin Scalia.

Read more: https://www.mediaite.com/media/news/listen-john-sauer-says-i-think-so-when-asked-if-native-americans-are-birthright-citizens/

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Gorsuch was a result of Turtle withholding Obama's pick for a SCOTUS seat.

[enough]

1. Can't believe he was unprepared for that question.

[rpannier]

15. Especially with Gorsuch on the bench

There's a lot to hate about Gorsuch, but he's rather popular amongst Native Americans.
If he didn't see that coming, he is an idiot -- for which I am grateful because he weakens his case

[Joinfortmill]

2. Native Americans are more American than Americans.

Give it up.

[Dan]

16. If Native Americans aren't Americans

then no one is.

[yourout]

3. The correct answer is..... YES!

[reACTIONary]

14. Those born after June 2, 1924, Yes.....

Native Americans were granted United States citizenship on June 2, 1924, through the Indian Citizenship Act (also known as the Snyder Act). Signed by President Calvin Coolidge, this act declared all Native Americans born within the U.S. to be citizens, covering about 125,000 individuals.

The question was whether they would be under Trump's executive order. Which really would be a stumper.

As one poster observed "I can't believe he wasn't prepared for that question."

[JI7]

4. Some white people consider themselves the true Native Americans

This is a thing going around among some right wing white people.

That they conquered this land and built the land into what it is today.

The non whites are just taking what their ancestors built.

They say the indigenous people that were already here were savages and killed each other and didn't make anything.

If you bring up slavery they will start going on about how their own people sold them.

[TheRickles]

5. As someone noted on another thread, if Native Americans are found not to be birthright citizens,

Are they deported back to their foreign home land - America?

[AZ8theist]

7. What a dilemma!!

[malthaussen]

13. No, because we're already "deporting" people to countries with which they have no connection.

We'll send them to a gulag in Ecuador or somewhere. Somalia looks nice.

-- Mal

[dickthegrouch]

6. "I have to think that through"

How utterly incompetent can one get????
In front of the SCROTUMs, no less.
Just like the fantastic healthcare we were supposed to get in 2016, and many other empty promises, these fools have not paid one microsecond to planning what they talked about, unless it benefits them and screws us.

[Bayard]

8. He THINKS so?

Did he graduate from trump University?

The Indigenous people here are the only ones who were not immigrants. All of the rest of us are, at some point. Columbus did not, "discover," America. There were already plenty of Natives here.

trump representatives continue to be disgracefully ignorant, just like him.

[BumRushDaShow]

9. To hear him rattle that off in the stream of the oral arguments

was as disconcerting as listening to a Sean Spicer on steroids.

[Six117]

10. First People

I've always liked that better. The First People were here long before some European map maker took it upon himself and named this part of the world after Amerigo Vespucci. There were thousands of independent nations and they are so much more than America.

[twodogsbarking]

11. White man not smart, and the horse he rode in on.

[malthaussen]

12. Don't you get it yet? Everything is a commodity to these people. There are no "rights." n/t

[tonekat]

17. I was not familiar with Sauer's past

From Wikipedia:

"In 2015, Sauer defended a Catholic priest accused of sexually abusing children. Sauer helped the priest sue his accusers and the police officers who were involved. Prosecutors dropped all charges against the priest, whose record had been fully expunged as of June 17, 2015. Sauer prevailed in the civil lawsuits related to the accusations."

He's in good company in this administration.