A federal judge’s Friday night decision to issue a temporary restraining order halting President Trump’s controversial immigration restrictions triggered a sharp rebuke Saturday morning courtesy of the chief executive’s personal Twitter account.
“The opinion of this so-called judge, which essentially takes law-enforcement away from our country, is ridiculous and will be overturned!” the president tweeted shortly after 8 a.m. Saturday from his @realDonaldTrump Twitter account.
Mr. Trump’s reprimand came the morning after U.S. District Judge James Robart, a George W. Bush appointee, sided with the attorney general of Washington State and effectively put a nationwide pause on the president’s plan to block the inflow of immigrants and asylum seekers from seven Muslim-majority nations as outlined in an executive order issued last Friday.
“The executive order adversely affects the state’s residents in areas of employment, education, business, family relations and freedom to travel,” the Seattle-based judge wrote Friday. “These harms are significant and ongoing.”
White House press secretary Sean Spicer issued a response promising to appeal the decision shortly after the court order was announced Friday evening, defending the president’s executive order as “lawful and appropriate.”
Opining on Twitter, Mr. Trump on Saturday insisted “death & destruction” will occur if authorities fail to heed his mandate, which imposes travel restrictions on citizens of Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen.
“When a country is no longer able to say who can, and who cannot, come in & out, especially for reasons of safety &.security - big trouble!” Mr. Trump tweeted.
• Andrew Blake can be reached at ablake@washingtontimes.com.
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