Trump Lashes Out at 'So-Called Judge'

He says 'ridiculous' order will be overturned
By Rob Quinn,  Newser Staff
Posted Feb 4, 2017 10:51 AM CST
Trump Slams 'So-Called Judge' After Travel Ban Halted
Thousands joined an anti-Trump protest march in London Saturday.   (AP Photo/Matt Dunham)

As people banned by his executive order boarded planes bound for the US, President Trump slammed a court order halting the ban as "ridiculous." "The opinion of this so-called judge, which essentially takes law-enforcement away from our country, is ridiculous and will be overturned!" he tweeted. In another tweet, he said "certain Middle Eastern countries agree with the ban," because "they know if certain people are allowed in it's death & destruction!" The White House has vowed to appeal US District Judge James Robart's restraining order against the ban. A roundup of coverage:

  • Airlines including British Airways, Emirates, and Lufthansa allowed travelers from the affected countries to board flights to the US after the judge's order late Friday. "I am very happy that we are going to travel today," an Iraqi man on his way to start a new life with his family in the US tells Reuters. He was banned from traveling last week despite having a US visa. "Even at that time, I was optimistic," he says. "I was sure that we were going to go. I didn't surrender and I fought for my right and other people's right."

  • The Department of Homeland Security is complying with the judge's order and has suspended all actions implementing the Trump travel ban, CNN reports. US Customs and Border Protection has told airlines that visas canceled under the ban are now valid again, including visas issued to refugees.
  • The Washington Post describes the ruling as a "rare and early rebuke of presidential authority," and predicts that there will be years of legal fights ahead as Trump keeps pushing the limits of executive power.
  • Uber CEO Travis Kalanick says the company is buying tickets for drivers and their families stranded overseas by the ruling, the AP reports. Uber's head of litigation is "buying a whole bunch of airline tickets ASAP!!" Kalanick tweeted.
  • The BBC reports that the Trump travel ban is being challenged in Virginia, New York, Massachusetts, and Michigan, as well as Washington, where the restraining order with nationwide effect was issued. Washington Attorney General Bob Ferguson describes the Trump ban as "un-American." "Folks who had visas, folks who were allowed to travel were denied that right without any due process whatsoever—that's un-American and unconstitutional," he says.
  • Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer warned that Trump's attack on the judge means that Democrats will push even harder for a Supreme Court nominee who demonstrates that they can be an independent check on the president. Trump's attack "shows a disdain for an independent judiciary that doesn't always bend to his wishes and a continued lack of respect for the Constitution," Schumer said in a statement.
  • Trump is on a working vacation in Florida and was spotted Saturday morning at the Trump International Golf Club near his Mar-a-Lago estate, the Palm Beach Post reports. Politico reports that thousands of protesters are expected to join a march in nearby West Palm Beach against Trump's travel ban.
(More Trump travel ban stories.)

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