Bill Could Force 5M Americans, Including Melania Trump and Elon Musk, to Renounce Dual Citizenship

A Republican senator's bill to ban dual citizenship would place First Lady Melania Trump, tech billionaire Elon Musk, and an estimated five million Americans in an impossible dilemma: choose one country or automatically lose US citizenship.

The Exclusive Citizenship Act of 2025, introduced by Senator Bernie Moreno on 1 December, explicitly prohibits 'dual or multiple citizenship'. If the bill were to become law, citizens would have a strict 12-month window to resolve their status.

Failure to comply would trigger automatic loss of US citizenship. Moreno, the bill's sponsor, is himself a naturalised US citizen; born in Colombia, he moved to the United States at the age of five and became a citizen at 18.

Melania Trump and Elon Musk Caught in the Crossfire

The bill directly impacts the First Lady.

Melania Trump holds dual US-Slovenian citizenship. Her immigration lawyer, Michael Wildes, has confirmed she would be forced to choose under the new rules. Her son Barron is also affected, owing to his Slovenian heritage, while President Trump's other children might also face difficulties given their mother Ivana's Czech roots.

Elon Musk faces a more complex dilemma. The tech billionaire holds three passports: American, Canadian, and South African. He was born in South Africa, acquired Canadian citizenship through his mother, and became a US citizen in 2002.

Since the bill bans 'multiple' citizenships, Musk would have to renounce two of his passports to retain his American citizenship. This situation creates a complicated political scenario: a Republican bill targeting the President's wife and the man who helped finance his return to the White House.

A Binary Choice: Renounce or Lose Status

Under the bill's provisions, Americans affected would face a stark choice: submit a formal renunciation of their foreign citizenship to the Secretary of State, or relinquish their US citizenship to the Secretary of Homeland Security.

Those who fail to act would be deemed to have voluntarily relinquished their United States citizenship. They would effectively become foreigners under immigration law—potentially subject to visa requirements or even deportation, regardless of how long they have lived in the country.

The bill also forecloses the possibility of future acquisition. Anyone who acquires a foreign citizenship after the legislation is enacted would automatically lose their US passport.

Moreno justifies the measure by citing 'divided loyalties' and potential 'conflicts of interest'. Democrats Abroad, representing Americans overseas, have branded the proposal 'unconstitutional', warning it could upend the lives of anywhere from 500,000 to 5.7 million Americans.

The High Cost of Renouncing America

Americans with substantial assets who choose to give up their US citizenship would face a significant financial penalty known as the 'Exit Tax'.

Under current IRS rules, anyone with a net worth of $2 million or more is classified as a 'covered expatriate'. The government taxes them as if they sold everything they own on the day before renouncing their citizenship.

This triggers a tax on all their 'paper profits'—gains they have not yet realised—that exceed an inflation-adjusted threshold (originally set at $600,000).

Despite the controversy, Moreno remains unapologetic.

'It was an honour to pledge an Oath of Allegiance to the United States of America and ONLY to the United States of America,' Moreno stated in a press release. 'Being an American citizen is an honour and a privilege—and if you want to be an American, it's all or nothing.'

Although Moreno's measure is still in the early stages of the legislative process, its passage through Congress seems uncertain. Even if both chambers approve the bill, constitutional challenges are likely, with opponents arguing that the legislation violates fundamental citizenship rights established by the Supreme Court.

The unresolved question for Republicans remains: will their president defend his wife's right to maintain her Slovenian heritage, or will he side with the hardline stance demanding 'exclusive' American allegiance?