Negreanu Gets US Citizenship to Vote Against Trump
8 years ago16 Mar
It seems as though Daniel âKidPokerâ Negreanu will stop at nothing in his attempt to prevent Donald Trump reaching the White House. The poker pro has gone as far as taking US citizenship so that he can vote against the outspoken right-wing Republican candidate in Novemberâs elections.
Last week Negreanu offered a $100,000 bet to the billionaire presidential hopeful, to âfact check Trump's claim that he doesn't have a small penis.â This weekend past saw the Canadian poker star take things a step further, upping the stakes by swearing the Oath of Allegiance at a ceremony in Nevadaâs Red Rock Canyon.
The ceremony saw 102 friends and followers of the Torontonian gather, coming from countries as far apart as China, Russia, Zimbabwe and Mexico. The last of these has been a particular target of Trumpâs in his republican campaign, with the business mogul calling Mexicans ârapistsâ and declaring that he would build a wall between Mexico and the USA should he become president.
On the day of the ceremony, Negreanu tweeted:
I donât want to see race relations devolve in this country. I donât want to see relations with Mexico hurt." He also stated on Twitter that: "I will continue to speak out against the violence and racist, bigoted, vitriol encourage by Donald Trump. This is serious. Itâs not a joke.â
The Canadian poker player has amassed over $30million in his live tournament career alone and has become a firm favourite of poker fans all over the world, as well as being seen as an ambassador for the game by many millions.
Trump, on the other hand, is seen as one of the most divisive figures in the US; his recent rallies to support his Republican candidacy have been mired in controversy and marred by violence as protesters have attempted to shut down what they see as Trumpâs âhate speechâ.
In further tweets aimed at Trump, Negreanu said:
I don't want to see America take a step backwards on people's constitutional right to freedom of religion. Yes, that includes Islam!!! I don't want to see "temporary bans" on people who may or may not be Muslim. I don't want to see our president insulting women.â
In stark contrast to his openly-hostile view of Trump, the self-confessed âliberalâ Negreanu has tweeted support for both of the Democratic front-runners, Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders. âPretty solid answer from Clinton on her plan to beat Trump- foreign policy and national security and our standing in the world,â was his take on the woman who could become the first female president of the USA. This has led to some online exchanges with other poker players who support Trumpâs candidacy, most notably Todd Brunson.
A tweet the day after his naturalization ceremony explained Negreanuâs reasoning more clearly.
I feel morally obligated to speak out on my political views. If you hate politics, might be best to unfollow till November! â
According to the 14th Amendment of the United States Constitution, there are two distinct routes to citizenship: birthright citizenship and naturalization. As of October last year Negreanu was still a Canadian citizen looking to become naturalized in America, tweeting:
I am still a Canadian citizen with a green card currently filing for citizenship.â
With his oath-swearing ceremony at the weekend, Negreanu is now able to legally vote in the elections and among other things can represent the USA in poker events.
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