The Daily Fuckup

President Donald Trump drew fresh scrutiny on May 4, 2025 after telling Kristen Welker in an interview for NBC’s Meet the Press that he did not know whether due process rights in the Constitution apply equally to citizens and noncitizens. The interview was taped on May 2 and aired on May 4, putting the exchange in the middle of a widening fight over the administration’s deportation plans. ([apnews.com](https://apnews.com/article/8da3e853b6cec944ec373fae4d317ac4?utm_source=openai))

Asked directly whether due process applies to everyone in the United States, Trump answered that he did not know, then said he was relying on lawyers and on the courts to sort out the issue. He tied the question to his immigration agenda, which has already run into legal challenges over removals and detention practices. ([apnews.com](https://apnews.com/article/8da3e853b6cec944ec373fae4d317ac4?utm_source=openai))

The comment quickly became a political flashpoint because due process is the legal standard that requires the government to follow established procedures before depriving a person of liberty or property. Critics of Trump’s immigration approach seized on the answer as evidence that the White House is willing to press constitutional limits while pushing for faster deportations. Supporters, by contrast, argued that Trump was speaking loosely and that the courts would ultimately define the limits of executive power. That split is now part of the story itself: the president left a direct constitutional question open on camera, and the reaction made clear that the answer matters far beyond one interview. ([apnews.com](https://apnews.com/article/8da3e853b6cec944ec373fae4d317ac4?utm_source=openai))