Travel ban halted again, Trump responds

Hours after a federal judge placed a restraining order on his second attempt at a travel ban, President Donald Trump took to the mic at a Wednesday political rally to respond.

“A judge has just blocked our executive order on travel and refuges coming into our country from certain countries,” Trump said. “This is the opinion of many — it’s an unprecedented judicial overreach. The law and the Constitution give the president the power to suspend immigration when he deems, or she — or she, fortunately it will not be Hillary she — when he or she deems it to be in the national interest of our country.”

Trump then paused as the crowd chanted “lock her up.”

Related: Federal judge puts hold on Trump’s revised travel ban

U.S. District Judge Derrick Watson with the 9th Circuit Court in Hawaii placed a restraining order on the new travel ban, preventing it from going into effect Thursday. Watson’s argument was that Trump’s own public statements, and other incidents, add up to intent — that the travel ban aims to discriminate against Muslims. He also said that there is a likelihood that the parties suing over the executive order would succeed.

The lawsuit was originally brought forth by Washington and Minnesota in response to Trump’s first executive order that banned travel and refugees from seven predominantly Muslim countries. After that faced a series of legal challenges, a second, revised travel ban was signed which banned travel and refugees from six countries. But the new edition ran afoul of the plaintiffs as well, which led to more court action and to Wednesday’s restraining order.

Trump responds to travel ban halt

But at his rally in Nashville, Tenn. Wednesday, Trump fired up his crowd with another perspective.

“The order he blocked was a watered down version of the first order that was also blocked by another judge and should have never been blocked to start with,” Trump said. “This new order was tailored to the dictates of the 9^th Circuit’s — in my opinion — flawed ruling.”

“You don’t think this was done by a judge for political reasons, do you? No,” Trump said sarcastically. “This ruling makes us look weak, which by the way, we no longer are. Believe me. Just look at our borders.”

Trump argued that he was elected to fix policies that make America weak and endanger the country, while applying common sense. Which is what his executive order attempts to do, according to him. Trump said he is ready to take the issue further along in court.

“We’re going to fight this terrible ruling,” Trump said. “We are going to take our case as far as it needs to go, including up to the Supreme Court. We are going to win. We are going to keep our citizens safe. Regardless, we are going to keep our citizens safe. Believe me.”

“I wasn’t thrilled, but the lawyers said let’s tailor it; this is a watered down version of the first one …” he said. “And let me tell you something, I think we ought to go back to the first one and go all the way, which is what I wanted to do in the first place. The danger is clear, the law is clear, the need for my executive order is clear.”

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