Last week, the Justice Department asked the Supreme Court to review and ultimately rule on the constitutionality of President Trump’s travel ban. After the terror attacks in London on Saturday, Trump renewed his call for the travel ban and argued that it was imperative for national security. Trump wrote on Twitter, “We need to be smart, vigilant, and tough. We need the courts to give us back our rights. We need the Travel Ban as an extra level of safety.”
We need to be smart, vigilant and tough. We need the courts to give us back our rights. We need the Travel Ban as an extra level of safety!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 3, 2017
Then, on Monday morning, Trump blasted the Justice Department for asking the Supreme Court to support a “watered down, politically correct version” of the travel ban that was blocked by federal courts. In a tweet, Trump called the new ban “politically correct.”
The Justice Dept. should have stayed with the original Travel Ban, not the watered down, politically correct version they submitted to S.C.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 5, 2017
Moreover, Trump called for the Justice Department to press the Supreme Court for an “expedited hearing” and to seek a “much tougher version” of the travel ban.
The Justice Dept. should ask for an expedited hearing of the watered down Travel Ban before the Supreme Court – & seek much tougher version!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 5, 2017
Just to make sure it was extra clear, Trump continued, “People, the lawyers and the court can call it whatever they want, but I am calling it what we need and what it is, a TRAVEL BAN!”
People, the lawyers and the courts can call it whatever they want, but I am calling it what we need and what it is, a TRAVEL BAN!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 5, 2017
Some might see Trump’s comments on Twitter as refreshingly honest, but there’s a problem—they could potentially harm his case for the renewal of the travel ban as it goes under review in the Supreme Court.
According to The Washington Post, federal judges that had blocked the travel ban relied on Trump’s comments from his campaign regarding Muslims to illustrate that the president meant to use the travel ban as a tool of discrimination against Muslims. While Trump’s staff have worked diligently to spin the executive order, insisting it is “not a ban,” Trump has completely undermined them with these tweets—and the Supreme Court justices are likely to notice.
Omar C. Jadwat, the American Civil Liberties Union lawyer that argued the travel ban case in the 4th Circuit, told the Post, “I can’t say for sure what our brief is going to look like, but this stuff seems relevant.”
Trump advisor Kellyanne Conway told NBC’s “Today Show” that the media is “obsessed with covering everything [Trump] says on Twitter and very little of what he does as president.” But Trump’s tweets are something he’s doing—and when he tweets, he’s still president. One Twitter bot reminds us of that by turning all of Trump’s tweets into presidential press statements.
A date has not been set yet for the Supreme Court to hear arguments concerning the travel ban.