President Trump on Wednesday weighed in on whether his Friday executive order amounts to an immigration “ban” or not, and said people can call it whatever they like.
“Everybody is arguing whether or not it is a BAN. Call it what you want, it is about keeping bad people (with bad intentions) out of country!” Trump said.
Everybody is arguing whether or not it is a BAN. Call it what you want, it is about keeping bad people (with bad intentions) out of country!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 1, 2017
White House press secretary Sean Spicer criticized the media on Tuesday for calling the immigration order a ban, but had called it a ban the previous day. Trump himself had called the order a ban in a tweet on Monday, and also used the word in earlier statements about the order. Trump surrogates have tried to argue it’s not a ban, but just a temporary stoppage.
The order blocks all refugees from coming to the United States for 120 days, and stops all immigration from Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen for 90 days. The order indefinitely blocks all immigration from Syria.
Public opinion appears to be split on the order, according to recent polls, although they show more people support it than oppose it.
The order resulted in thousands of people taking to the streets and to the baggage claim areas of airports across the nation to protest. There was confusion about who was blocked from entering the country, as some legal permanent residents were either forced to hand over their green cards to authorities or detained for hours.
The administration has been severely criticized for how it handled the rollout of the order from people on both sides of the aisle.
.@jaketapper: Don't follow the media's lead in calling it a ban. Follow the lead of the White House. https://t.co/K2GzrRLRxm pic.twitter.com/DIb2ccsZlV— The Lead CNN (@TheLeadCNN) January 31, 2017
