Renowned theoretical physicist and cosmologist Stephen Hawking disputed whether President Trump’s travel ban is “a good idea” and urged Trump to reconsider his “denial” of climate change.
“I would ask him why he thinks his travel ban is a good idea. This brands as Daesh terrorists all citizens of six mainly Muslim countries, but doesn’t include America’s allies such as Iraq, Saudi Arabia and Qatar, which allegedly help finance Daesh,” Hawking told Wired in response to a question about what he would tell Trump if he met him.
Daesh is another term to describe the Islamic State.
Trump’s third “travel ban,” issued on Sept. 24 and currently being challenged before the Supreme Court, restricts travel by foreign nationals from Chad, Iran, Libya, North Korea, Syria, Venezuela, Somalia, and Yemen into the U.S.
“This blanket ban is inefficient and prevents America from recruiting skilled people from these countries,” Hawking continued.
The Englishman, best known for his theoretical prediction that black holes emit thermal radiation, also said Trump should “renounce his denial of climate change.”
“But again, I fear neither will happen as Trump continues to appease his electorate,” Hawking said.
Trump, who once said climate change is a “hoax,” announced he would pull the U.S. out of the Paris climate agreement in June and appointed Scott Pruitt, who is skeptical about whether carbon dioxide contributes to global warming, as administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency.
