Around 6.8 million Americans, 3% of the population, hold dual citizenship. Their reasons for this are many, but include ancestral and heritage ties to their homelands, a form of insurance against domestic political instability, or simply because having two passports can make it easier to travel internationally.
Notable dual citizenship holders include Melania Trump and Barron Trump, both of whom hold dual Slovenian/U.S. citizenship. Melania because she was born there, and Barron through Slovenian descent-based nationality laws.
But Republican Ohio Senator Bernie Moreno is trying to stamp all of this out and mandate that American citizens must exclusively swear sole allegiance to the United States. In his newly introduced “Exclusive Citizenship Act of 2025” he argues:
Senator Bernie Moreno (R-OH) introduced a bill that bans Americans from holding dual citizenship.
— Politics & Poll Tracker
It’s called the “Exclusive Citizenship Act of 2025” pic.twitter.com/unE8jm4hQG(@PollTracker2024) December 1, 2025
“To preserve the integrity of national citizenship, allegiance to the United States must be undivided.”
Could this actually happen?
This is going to be an extraordinarily hard bill to pass, as multiple high-level Republicans hold dual citizenship in various countries. But, to be fair, Moreno has already put his money where his mouth is. He was born in Colombia, but relinquished his Colombian citizenship and passport when he naturalized as an American.
But it’s going to be an awkward conversation around the Trump family dinner table if this goes any further, as it would directly impact the president and his family. In addition, this would also enrage Israel, as hundreds of thousands of American Jews and Israelis hold dual Israeli/American citizenship.
Most of the reactions predict that pro-Israel lobbying group AIPAC will ensure that Moreno’s plans come to nothing. Sure, ending dual citizenship might sound like a quintessentially MAGA policy, but the practicalities of it will anger some extremely powerful people all around the world.
Others predict it’ll backfire, and those ordered to relinquish either their American or foreign citizenship will toss that blue passport in the trash and embrace being a citizen of another country. That said, despite the United States’ flagging international reputation, being an American citizen remains enormously desirable – people literally die trying to get it.
It remains to be seen what Moreno’s next steps are, but he’s clearly willing to step on some toes to make his case that Americans’ loyalty should never be shared with a foreign country.
