Cenk Uygur, founder of The Young Turks, was in a state of denial when he announced on Wednesday that he will run for President of the United States.
The progressive commentator, an immigrant from Turkey, reportedly said he does not believe the U.S. Constitution’s “natural born citizen” clause will disqualify him in a campaign for the Democratic Party’s 2024 nomination against President Joe Biden.
In speaking with Semafor, Uygur predicted a “slam dunk” victory if and when the issue reaches the U.S. Supreme Court, suggesting the legal challenge was a “good reason” to run. “I’m tired of 25 million Americans having this albatross around their neck,” he added.
Uygur, 53, previously ran an unsuccessful campaign in 2020 for a U.S. House seat vacated by former Rep. Katie Hill (D-CA), but eligibility for a congressional seat is different from the requirements for the presidency.
As stated in Article II, Section 1, Clause 5 of the Constitution: “No Person except a natural born Citizen, or a Citizen of the United States, at the time of the Adoption of this Constitution, shall be eligible to the Office of President.”
Social media became awash in comments mocking the announcement.
“His first act as a candidate for president is to violate the constitution of the United States because he is not a natural born citizen,” talk radio host Larry O’Connor said in a post to X. “Actually this kind of makes him the perfect candidate for the Democrats.”
“You weren’t born here so you aren’t even allowed to run for president yet you’re taking donations under the premise that you are? Sounds like fraud Cenk! Not a smart move,” said former Tennessee congressional candidate Robby Starbuck.
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They were responding to a post by Uygur linking to a “Cenk for America” website that featured a button for donations. As of press time, his ActBlue page showed that Uygur had garnered 732 donations, though the total amount of money raised was not advertised.
The eligibility issue has come up in recent months with another political figure. Arnold Schwarzenegger, a Hollywood actor born in Austria who became governor of California, said in a June interview that “of course” he would run for president — if he was eligible.
Uygur’s entry into the race came two days after Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced that he was ending his bid for the Democratic Party’s presidential nomination to run as an independent.
Biden has dominated the 2024 Democratic Party primary polls, but general election polls showing matches against the GOP frontrunner, former President Donald Trump, and others, have been much closer.
“Yes, I’m running against Joe Biden for the Democratic nomination,” Uygur said in his post to X. “Joe Biden is down 24 points on the economy. He has no ability to make up that kind of ground on the most important issue. We need a new candidate now!”