In the last week, President Donald J. Trump has continued to make headlines and stir up controversy. His previously issued travel ban has been rejected by judges from the United States Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit, he mocked the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) in a meeting and he has backed off from his previously stated idea of violating parts of the “One China” policy.
President Trump’s highly-criticized travel ban has been rejected by a federal appeals panel. The ban, which put a 120-day ban on refugees from entering the United States, as well as banning citizens from seven countries from entering the U.S., was found to be in violation of current laws and should be lifted immediately, according to the ruling.
When this news was announced, Trump immediately went to Twitter on Thursday evening to express his displeasure. “SEE YOU IN COURT, THE SECURITY OF OUR NATION IS AT STAKE!” he said in a tweet.
Less than 24 hours later, the President returned to Twitter to quote an article published by Lawfare, “How to Read (and How Not to Read) Today’s 9th Circuit Opinion,” using a line that described that while the opinion was valid, the panel failed to cite the statute in question.
To President Trump’s disadvantage, the author of the article that he quoted in his tweet felt that the court’s decision was appropriate. In the article, the author writes that the court’s decision was “correct…for the simple reason that there is no cause to plunge the country into turmoil again while the courts address the merits of these matters over the next few weeks.”
On Thursday, Feb. 9, Trump mocked the FAA’s proposal to repair the air traffic control system and vowed to rebuild airports around the nation to save travellers money. Trump believes that the current system is “totally out of whack” and even after the multi-billion dollar rebuild is complete, it will still be a poor system.
Trump, who owns his own aircraft and has even expressed interest in owning his own airline in the past, has previously had a rocky relationship with the FAA. His name was pulled off of the FAA’s airborne navigation points in 2015 after making derogatory comments regarding Mexican immigrants, just before beginning his presidential campaign. Trump has yet to deliver a plan with specific instructions as to how he will go about repairing the system.
On Thursday, Feb. 9, President Trump spoke with Chinese President Xi Jinping over the phone where he discussed that he will back off of and honor the “One China” policy. Just under two months ago, Trump made it clear that he would not hesitate to anger China until the country joined the bargaining table on trade and North Korea. This comes as a surprise to many, as Trump has led voters to believe that he is a master at negotiating and went against his prior claims.
While President Trump is trying to accomplish all that he promised during his campaign, those who do not approve of his policies are doing everything in their power to ensure that the laws currently in place are being followed.
