The White House said Monday that President Trump “absolutely” supports his current version of an extreme vetting order on travelers from six majority-Muslim countries, although Mr. Trump referred to it earlier in the day as a “watered-down” effort.
“He wants the strongest executive order out there and he wanted to move as quickly as possible,” said White House deputy press secretary Sarah Sanders. “He’s trying to protect the citizens of this country. The need for this executive order is very clear. Full stop.”
Mr. Trump referred to the measure again as a “travel ban” on Twitter after terrorist attacks in London over the weekend. Critics have accused the president of undermining his own order by calling it a “ban” on travel, after lower federal courts blocked it.
Mrs. Sanders said the media is hung up on “semantics.”
“The president isn’t concerned with what you call it. He’s concerned with national security,” she said. “He’s not concerned with being politically correct, he’s concerned with protecting the American people.”
• Dave Boyer can be reached at dboyer@washingtontimes.com.
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