WASHINGTON / PTI
President Donald Trump has said he is considering signing a “brand new” executive order by next week to temporarily bar citizens of seven Muslim-majority nations from entering America, a day after a US court refused to reinstate his controversial travel ban.
“We will win that battle. The unfortunate part is that it takes time statutorily, but we will win that battle. We also have a lot of other options, including just filing a brand new order,” Trump told reporters travelling with him on Air Force One from Andrews Air Force Base to Florida.
Asked if his plan might be to issue a new executive order, Trump said: “It very well could be. We need speed for reasons of security, so it very well could be.” Trump said that “in honour of the (9th US Circuit court) decision” he will likely wait until next week to respond with any action. “Perhaps Monday or Tuesday,” he said.
The new executive order on immigration would include security measures, Trump said.
“New security measures. We have very, very strong vetting. I call it extreme vetting and we're going very strong on security. We are going to have people coming to our country that want to be here for good reason,” he said.
The President's remarks came after a three-judge bench of the 9th US Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco refused to reinstate his controversial travel ban on Thursday.
The judgement means that citizens of seven majority- Muslim countries will continue to be able to travel to the US.
Trump signed the executive order last month suspending the arrival of all refugees for at least 120 days, Syrian refugees indefinitely, and barring citizens from Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen for 90 days, fulfilling one of his central campaign promises.
“We will be doing something very rapidly to do with the additional security for our country. You'll be seeing that sometime next week,” Trump said speaking at the White House.
“In addition, we will continue to go through the court process and ultimately, I have no doubt we will win that particular case,” Trump told reporters during a joint news conference yesterday with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.
“We are going to keep our country safe. We are going to do whatever is necessary to keep our country safe. We have had decision which we think will be very successful with, it shouldn't have taken this much time because safety is a primary reason,” Trump said.
“One of the reasons I am standing here today, the security of our country, the voters felt I would give it the best security,” he said, indicating that he would continue with his efforts for the safety and security of the US despite the court setback.
“While I've been President, which is just for a very short period of time, I've learned tremendous things that you could only learn, frankly, if you were in a certain position, namely President,” he said.
Trump said there are tremendous threats to the country.
“We will not allow that to happen, I can tell you that right now. So we'll be going forward and we'll be doing things to continue to make our country safe. It will happen rapidly and we will not allow people into our country who are looking to do harm to our people,” he said.
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Trump not to address Parliament during UK visitLONDON: Donald Trump's state visit to the UK triggering controversy over his address to the Parliament, Britian may host him during parliamentary recess to avoid a snub of the US President by the lawmakers, a media report said on Saturday.
The state visit invitation on behalf of Queen Elizabeth II has attracted a lot of opposition in Britain following the new President's controversial immigration ban on citizens of seven Muslim-majority countries entering the US.
The Speaker of the House of Commons, John Bercow, was the latest to weigh in on the issue earlier this week saying he was “strongly opposed” to an address by President Trump in Westminster Hall.
Buckingham Palace and White House officials are in discussions to plan the visit around August and September this year, when Parliament will be in recess, the Guardian reported.
A source told the newspaper that such a plan was “the preferred option” at the UK end.
Parliament will be in summer recess until September 5 and adjourns again for the annual political party conferences on September 15 for nearly a month.
A weekend within that period is now a likely timeframe for the visit. This would take any address to MPs and Lords out of the itinerary.
As the Queen and her husband, Duke of Edinburgh, usually spend time in Balmoral Castle in Scotland at that time of the year, it remains to be seen whether the customary state banquet will be held in Windsor Castle or back in London at Buckingham Palace.
According to the report, officials are also said to be keen to limit Trump's public exposure more generally during the visit, in order to reduce the opportunities for protests and disorder on a state occasion.
This suggests that the President will spend relatively little time in London, while the majority of the visit will be conducted behind as strict a security cordon as possible.
“We have no further details to share at this time,” a White House spokesperson told newspaper.
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Trump, Abe pledge to strengthen US-Japan relationship
US President Donald Trump and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe have vowed to strengthen defence and strategic ties and agreed to make the bilateral trade more fair.
“We are committed to the security of Japan and all areas under its administrative control and to further strengthening our very crucial alliance. The US-Japan alliance is the cornerstone of peace and stability in the Pacific region,” Trump told reporters at a joint news conference with Abe at the White House on Saturday.
After the meeting, Trump insisted that it is important that both Japan and the US continue to invest heavily in the alliance to build up their defence capabilities which, under their leadership, will become stronger and stronger, and as time goes by, ultimately they will be impenetrable.
Trump said the two countries face numerous challenges and bilateral cooperation is essential to address them.
“We will work together to promote our shared interests, of which we have many, in the region, including freedom of navigation and defending against the North Korean missile and nuclear threat, both of which I consider a very, very high priority,” Trump said.
“On the economy, we will seek a trading relationship that is free, fair and reciprocal, benefiting both of our countries. The vibrant exchange between us is a true blessing,” Trump said.
Abe, speaking in Japanese, congratulated Trump on being elected as the US President. Abe was one of the first world leader who travelled to the US to congratulate Trump ahead of his swearing-in in January.
“The mutually beneficial economic relations have been built by Japan and the US,” he said.
With Trump taking on the leadership, Abe said big infrastructure investments will be made, including in high- speed train technology.
“Japanese bullet trains are known for their speed, and safety,” Abe said, adding, with the latest magnetic technology, it would take only one hour to travel from from Washington, DC to New York where Trump Tower exists.
Japan, with its high-level of technical capability will be able to contribute to Trump's growth strategy, he said.
The two leaders in a joint-statement announced a three- pronged approach of mutually-reinforcing fiscal, monetary, and structural policies to strengthen domestic and global economic demand.
Trump and Abe discussed opportunities and challenges facing their economies and the need to promote inclusive growth and prosperity in their countries, the Asia-Pacific region, and the world.
“They emphasised they remain fully committed to strengthening the economic relationships between their two countries and across the region, based on rules for free and fair trade,” the joint statement said.
