The Scholarship Without Borders Journal
Abstract
This case study investigates how President Donald Trump's autocratic and transactional leadership style influenced the conception, implementation, and social impact of the 2025 executive order seeking to revoke birthright citizenship for children of undocumented immigrants. This study employs the case study approach and applies thematic analysis of public documents, legal texts, and media reports. The study identifies five major themes, including autocratic leadership and executive overreach, racialized policy implementation, media manipulation, legal resistance, and a broader crisis of democratic legitimacy. The findings suggest that while the executive order aims at framing a legal structure, it disproportionately affects marginalized immigrant communities, exacerbating systemic racial inequalities and undermining constitutional norms. The order triggered significant institutional and civil resistance, highlighting the importance of procedural fairness, racial equity, and democratic safeguards. The study concludes with policy recommendations for strengthening constitutional oversight, embedding racial equity assessments in immigration policymaking, and fostering democratic resilience in the face of authoritarian tendencies.
Recommended Citation
Huang, Ruolan; Fang, Liwei; Zhang, Jingzhe; and Zaldivar, Anna
(2025)
"Transactional and Autocratic Leadership in Practice: The Case of Trump’s Attempt to Redefine Birthright Citizenship,"
The Scholarship Without Borders Journal: Vol. 3:
Iss.
2, Article 3.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.57229/2834-2267.1070
Available at:
https://digitalcommons.pepperdine.edu/swbj/vol3/iss2/3
Included in
American Politics Commons, Constitutional Law Commons, Leadership Studies Commons, Other Education Commons