While Americans cringe at what Trump is doing to our country’s credibility, his apparently uncontrollable tweeting also played a part in this court decision.
With the President’s executive order on travel working its way through the court system, earlier this month was probably not the wisest time to start tweeting about it. That didn’t stop Donald Trump, though.
On June 3, he tweeted that the travel ban was needed for 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
Engaging in some mild trolling and taunting, the ACLU responded on Twitter, expressing pleasure in Trump’s latest admission that the travel ban is, indeed, a ban.
Glad we both agree the ban is a ban. https://t.co/p1qXkffyIL
— ACLU (@ACLU) June 4, 2017
When Trump heard that his tweet was being discussed in news media, with some discussion of whether it would hurt his case, he let off a stream of additional tweets. On June 4, he referred to the executive order as a travel ban three separate times on Twitter, making use of capitals for emphasis and reiterating that ‘Travel Ban’ was the only accurate name for the directive. Other descriptors, Trump indicated, were just a matter of political correctness.
Trump also emphasized in the tweets that the second version of the travel ban was just a ‘watered down’ version of the previous executive order that a Federal court had called unconstitutional.
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
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
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
In any event we are EXTREME VETTING people coming into the U.S. in order to help keep our country safe. The courts are slow and political!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 5, 2017
In the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals Monday, Trump’s plea to have the ban reinstated was denied. Forbes reports Trump’s tweets were cited in the court’s decision, along with the recent declaration that Trump’s tweets can be considered official statements from the President.
Judges noted that this series of tweets confirmed that Trump’s ban was about specific countries, but failed to demonstrate that allowing entry to nationals of those particular countries would be detrimental.
The New York Times reported last month that Trump’s own lawyers are begging him to stop tweeting. After his own tweets lost another court case for him on Monday, surely he would begin to see the wisdom of this, right?
No. Tuesday morning, Trump was back at it, accusing the ‘Fake News’ media of carrying false stories and demanding an apology, and harping again about his travel ban.
Well, as predicted, the 9th Circuit did it again – Ruled against the TRAVEL BAN at such a dangerous time in the history of our country. S.C.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 13, 2017
If the Supreme Court of the United States also takes Donald Trump’s travel ban tweets into account, he’s making sure they have plenty to consider.
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