Trump has repeatedly tried and failed to change the conversation ahead of the midterm elections with lies, conspiracies, and proposals that “have no chance of materializing.” The media and Americans across the country know exactly what Trump’s doing, and they aren’t fooled.

Reporters called out Trump’s latest distraction for what it was – “an obvious stunt.”

Daily Beast’s Sam Stein: “Guys. Trump can’t terminate amendments via executive order. To respond as if he’s ending birthright citizenship because he told an outlet he is ending birthright citizenship is to allow him to be our assignment editor. It’s an obvious stunt”

CNN’s John Avlon: “Call it what it is: a desperate midterm election Hail Mary — President Donald Trump floating a proposal to eliminate birthright citizenship by executive order. Let’s cut to the chase: This literally can’t happen.”

New York Times: “In the last days before a midterm congressional election that will determine the future of his presidency, Mr. Trump seems to be throwing almost anything he can think of against the wall to see what might stick, no matter how untethered from political or legal reality.”

CNN: “Birthright citizenship: Trump claims only the US grants it, he’s wrong”

Washington Post Fact Checker: “It’s incredible to imagine that the president could wipe away a more-than-a-century-old reading of the Constitution, by himself, with the stroke of a pen. That’s not how government works.”

FactCheck.org: “Most of the constitutional scholars we spoke to said changing the law via executive order, as Trump has proposed, is on even shakier legal footing.”

New York Times: “It is likewise unknown how serious Mr. Trump is about taking the action. In recent days, with the approach of the midterm balloting in which Republican control of Congress is at risk, he has sought to appeal to voters by making other dramatic claims that appear to have no chance of materializing, such as imminent action to grant a 10 percent tax cut for the middle class.”