Why Zohran Mamdani cannot ever become US President? Answer lies in a July 1787 letter

What the US Constitution says

The US Constitution sets out clear eligibility criteria for presidential candidates. Article II, Section 1, Clause 5 specifies: “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; neither shall any Person be eligible to that Office who shall not have attained to the Age of thirty five Years, and been fourteen Years a Resident within the United States.”

The “natural-born citizen” clause was not part of the earliest drafts of the Constitution. Historical records show that this specific wording emerged later in the 1787 Constitutional Convention. On July 25, 1787, John Jay — who would go on to become the first Chief Justice of the United States — wrote to George Washington, then presiding over the Convention, expressing concern about allowing foreign-born individuals to hold the nation’s highest office.

Jay wrote: “Permit me to hint, whether it would not be wise and seasonable to provide a strong check to the admission of Foreigners into the administration of our national Government, and to declare expressly that the Command in chief of the American army shall not be given to, nor devolve on, any but a natural born Citizen.”

Shortly after Jay’s letter, the Committee of Detail, which had originally proposed that the President merely be a “citizen” and a resident for 21 years, made a significant revision. The Committee of Eleven replaced “citizen” with “natural born citizen” and reduced the residency requirement from 21 years to 14, though the exact reasoning was never recorded.

Why Zohran Mamdani is ineligible

Mamdani was born in Kampala, Uganda, to renowned academic Mahmood Mamdani, a Ugandan scholar of Indian heritage, and acclaimed filmmaker Mira Nair, best known for ‘Monsoon Wedding’ and ‘The Namesake’. He later became a naturalised US citizen in 2018, which means he does not meet the Constitution’s “natural-born” requirement.

Unless the Constitution is amended — something that has been debated for decades but has never come close to happening — Mamdani cannot seek the presidency.

From Queens to City Hall

Mamdani’s rise has been swift and unconventional. When he entered the mayoral race last year, he was considered an outsider: little known beyond progressive circles, short on funding, and lacking the backing of New York’s political establishment. Yet, with an energetic grassroots campaign, he defeated political heavyweights such as former Governor Andrew Cuomo and Republican nominee Curtis Sliwa.

In his victory speech, the 34-year-old framed his win as a reflection of the city’s diversity and resilience:

“New York will remain the city of immigrants — built by immigrants, powered by immigrants, and as of tonight, led by an immigrant.”

He added: “I am young, I am Muslim, I am a democratic socialist, and most damning of all, I refuse to apologise for any of this. I will wake each morning with a singular purpose — to make this city better for you than it was the day before.”