On April Fools' Day 2025, a claim began circulating online that U.S. President Donald Trump had announced the end of dual citizenship for U.S. citizens via a Truth Social post, meaning that people holding U.S. citizenship would no longer be able to hold citizenships for other countries.
For example, one X user posted a screenshot of the alleged Truth Social post attributed to Trump (archived) that read:
STARTING ON MONDAY, I AM ENDING DUAL CITIZENSHIP UNDER THE ESPIONAGE ACT AND ALL THESE TRAITORS WILL BE 'DENATURALIZED AND DEPORTED' TO THE COUNTRY THEY CAME FROM. NO EXCEPTIONS!!!!! AMERICA IS FOR AMERICANS, NOT ALL THESE FOREIGNERS WHO HATE OUR GREAT COUNTRY AND DON'T EVEN PAY TAXES.
The X post had amassed more than 3.9 million views and 77,000 likes as of this writing. The rumor also appeared in a YouTube video posted by a junk content channel that shares dubious rumors.
(X / @guelphgirlchris)
Some people replied to the X post wondering if the supposed policy would apply to Israel and Jewish people. Another suggested it could apply to the president's wife, Melania Trump, and his son, Barron Trump, while several others inquired about the status of Elon Musk, the tech magnate who is the public face of Trump's advisory initiative, the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).
As Snopes reported in March 2024, Musk holds three citizenships: one for South Africa, where he was born, one for Canada, which he obtained through his Canadian mother Maye Musk, and one for the U.S., of which he became naturalized in 2002. Similarly, according to the book "The Art of Her Deal: The Untold Story of Melania Trump," Melania and Barron are both dual citizens of the U.S. and Slovenia, the first lady's country of origin.
However, a review of Trump's Truth Social feed revealed no evidence that he had announced such a measure. Likewise, a search for the term "I am ending dual citizenship" on Trump's Truth — a website that archives the president's Truth Social posts, including those that are deleted — produced no results matching the alleged post in the screenshot posted on X.
In fact, there were numerous signs that the screenshot showed was fabricated. First, the format of the text in the screenshot was different from the format of the text in authentic Truth Social posts. Second, a separate, genuine post (archived) on his feed was posted at the exact same time — 4 p.m. (ET) on March 30, 2025 — but with different comments, which suggests that this was used as a template to create the fake post. Therefore, we have rated this screenshot and claim as fake.
Indeed, while many countries prohibit dual citizenship, including China, Iran and San Marino, the U.S. does not. As of this writing, the U.S. State Department's website reads (emphasis ours):
U.S. law does not impede its citizens' acquisition of foreign citizenship whether by birth, descent, naturalization or other form of acquisition, by imposing requirements of permission from U.S. courts or any governmental agency. If a foreign country's law permits parents to apply for citizenship on behalf of minor children, nothing in U.S. law impedes U.S. citizen parents from doing so.
U.S. law does not require a U.S. citizen to choose between U.S. citizenship and another (foreign) nationality (or nationalities). A U.S. citizen may naturalize in a foreign state without any risk to their U.S. citizenship.