White House spokesman Sean Spicer pushed back Sunday against criticism of the temporary refugee ban, saying President Trump “is not going to apologize for putting the safety of this country first and foremost.”
“The criticism that’s coming is from someone who has gotten into office, hit the ground running, had a flurry of activity to do exactly what he said he was going to do, whether it was bringing back jobs, fighting for American taxpayers and cutting the cost and waste out of government programs or doing what he said overseas and protecting this nation,” Mr. Spicer said on ABC’s “This Week.”
“But he is not going to apologize for putting the safety of this country first and foremost,” Mr. Spicer said.
Mr. Trump’s executive order came under fire Saturday as protesters descended on major U.S. airports to decry the directive, which suspends all refugee entry for 120 days, admission of citizens from seven Muslim-majority countries for 90 days, and Syrian refugees indefinitely.
Mr. Spicer said that 109 people were “slowed down” Saturday out of more than 300,000 foreign visitors.
Asked if they were subject to “humiliation,” Mr. Spicer compared the inconvenience of additional security screenings to the loss experienced by those whose loved ones were killed in terrorist attacks.
“And so what do we say to the family or to the individual who gets hurt or the family of someone who gets killed because we didn’t take these steps?” Mr. Spicer said. “Protecting this nation and our people is the number one priority of this president and our government.”
• Valerie Richardson can be reached at vrichardson@washingtontimes.com.
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