Activist and celebrity chef José Andrés joined protesters outside the U.S. Supreme Court on Wednesday, when President Donald Trump became the first sitting president on record to attend oral arguments on a case at the High Court.
Andrés, when speaking to Fox News Digital, slammed Trump for “changing the game’s rules,” rules the chef said “have been already done,” the same year as America’s 250th anniversary since the Declaration of Independence was signed. He suggested that what Trump is doing – attempting to ensure that children born to parents who are in the United States illegally or temporarily do not become American citizens – is not what America “should be working towards.”
The chef’s comments mirrored remarks by other protesters alongside him outside the Supreme Court, complaining that Trump’s efforts to tighten the screws around birthright citizenship violates the Constitution. Actor Robert De Niro, who did not join protesters but joined Trump and some of his closest advisors inside the courtroom, was also present at the High Court on Wednesday.
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“The argument is that this country, this year, is celebrating 250 years! It’s not the time to be changing the game’s rules. Those rules have been already done,” Andrés said. “Let’s keep working to make sure that the 15 million immigrants become part of America. This is what America should be working towards.”
Andrés’ suggestion that “the game’s rules” have already been written and Trump’s efforts are trying to upend those pre-settled rules, effectively saying it goes against the Constitution and other policies the country was founded on, was echoed by other protesters Fox News Digital caught up with outside the Supreme Court Wednesday as well.
“Well, I don’t know that there should be no limits, but there certainly shouldn’t be the limits that are proposed. And Justice Robert said it way better than I could. It’s a new world. It’s the same Constitution,” someone at the protest outside the Supreme Court, holding a small dog wearing a sign that read “NO KINGS. ONLY B—-ES,” told Fox News Digital.
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“We are setting ourselves up for a two-tiered, or hierarchy of citizenship, you know. Why is it that some people who are born here get to be citizens and other people are not, based on who their parents’ ancestry is? To me that just violates the core concept of equality that our country is supposed to be founded on,” said another.
“It will help regulations when it comes to certain laws. And it was kind of – the hearing itself – it was educational, a lot of things to take, and things to learn from the 14th Amendment,” added another.
“We have a 14th Amendment for a reason,” another activist said. “We can’t rewrite the Constitution.”
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When asked for his thoughts on Wednesday’s oral arguments after leaving the courthouse Wednesday, De Niro focused his criticism on Trump, telling Fox News Digital he didn’t know what to think immediately after leaving the hearing.
“I’m waiting to get a, getting a – I’m not sure because I could hear, but not hear. It’s complicated. So, I can’t say,” De Niro responded when asked about the oral arguments he had just witnessed.
De Niro described the Trump administration’s stance on the matter — that children born to parents who are in the United States illegally or temporarily are not American citizens — as a way for Republicans to “get rid of people they don’t want.”
When asked about claims he has “Trump Derangement Syndrome,” sometimes referred to by the acronym “TDS,” De Niro called it “nonsense.”
“People don’t like him for a reason,” De Niro shot back. “All the terrible things he’s done. If he did nice things, then he could have, he had the chance — he became president — to do nice things, not hateful, retribution, not just, outright mean things. If he did nice things, people would love him. But he’s got a problem. He’s damaged.” Asked what specifically bothered him about Trump, De Niro said “everything.”
“Everything that we all know now,” De Niro, who reportedly sat in seats reserved for the justices’ guests, added as he was leaving the courthouse.
Reporting from Wednesday indicated the Supreme Court appeared ready to reject Trump’s argument on birthright citizenship. The arguments reportedly lasted over two hours, and, in addition to Trump, recently fired U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi was present, as was Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, among other Trump allies.