The Note: The Fallout From Trump's Immigration Ban

Having trouble viewing this email? Click here.

January 30, 2017

MORE POLITICS >

The Fallout From Trump's Immigration Ban

The Big Story

This is it – a defining early moment for President Trump and the new world order he is bringing. The scenes over the weekend – stranded travelers, swelling protests, late-night legal flurries – have captured the world's attention. Trump managed to wake up the American business community, Hollywood, sports leagues and teams, and countries on the friendship spectrum that range from Great Britain to Iran. Whatever the legality or the label - "this is not a Muslim ban," the president declared, even though he famously and meticulously called for "a total and complete shutdown of Muslims entering the United States" – is it tenable for the Trump administration to maintain that this was properly planned before implementation? (If this did go according to plan, things haven't even begun to get interesting.) Perhaps critically, the messy weekend demanded the attention of Republicans in Congress, who have noted the irony an "extreme vetting" order that didn't itself get properly vetted.

The Sleeper Story

The scope of Steve Bannon's influence in this White House is revealing itself daily, through executive orders, omissions and commissions, and even an interview where he called on the press to "keep its mouth shut" for a while. But to national-security veterans and outside observers alike, the president's order elevating Bannon's role on the National Security Council is startling, and perhaps alarming. The same order downgrades the military and the Director of National Intelligence in considering urgent security matters. Bannon is a provocateur with alt-right ties who has publicly mused that he sees power in the "Dick Cheney, Darth Vader, Satan" model. After the election he called for "an entirely new political movement." He now sits in the president's formal inner circle of matters impacting war and peace.

The Shiny Story

The president took some time away from implementing new executive orders – and squeezing in a screening of "Finding Dory" at the White House – to blast away on Twitter at some familiar rivals: The New York Times, The Washington Post, John McCain, and Lindsey Graham. McCain and Graham came out saying the travel ban wasn't properly planned and implemented, and that it might harm the US in fighting terrorism. The Times' and the Post's sins were less clear, but the newspapers did spend considerable reportorial resources documenting those same shortcomings. This is what Trump does: attack. Sometimes the strategy is the distraction. Always, he seems to think the drama gives him greater leverage in his next fight.

TLDR

The White House is defending the executive order Trump signed on Friday, which suspends immigration from Muslim countries with ties to terror, while backlash from both sides of the aisle builds.

Trump Defends Travel Ban: 'This Is About Terror and Keeping Our Country Safe'

President Donald Trump on Sunday defended the move, saying it "is not about religion," but "about terror and keeping our country safe." "To be clear, this is not a Muslim ban, as the media is falsely reporting," the president said in reference to the order. "There are over 40 different countries worldwide that are majority Muslim that are not affected by this order," he said. "My policy is similar to what President Obama did in 2011 when he banned visas for refugees from Iraq for six months," Trump said. However, Trump's executive order bars anyone, not just refugees, from Iraq, Iran, Syria, Libya, Somalia, Sudan or Yemen from entering the U.S. for 90 days -– even if they possess valid visas that would have previously allowed them to do so, notes ABC's PAUL BLAKE. http://abcn.ws/2jH14d8

Protests Build Across the Country Against Trump's Immigration Order

President Trump defended his executive order restricting the entry into the U.S. of people from seven Muslim-dominated countries, saying the move was not about religion but about keeping the country safe, but administration officials appeared to backtrack on the scope of the order, even as demonstrators gathered across the U.S. to protest. Massive crowds packed Boston's Copley Square, Battery Park in New York City and outside the White House, and public areas in other cities, with demonstrations also held at airports from coast to coast to protest the order. ABC's BEN GITTLESON, MICHAEL EDISON HAYDEN and DEAN SCHABNER have more. http://abcn.ws/2kgHS6W

Today on GMA: Conway Says GOP Senators Need to Support President Trump

President Trump's counselor Kellyanne Conway defended President Trump's criticism of GOP Senators John McCain and Lindsey Graham today, saying the president's fellow Republicans need to back his leadership. "We want them to be there for the president and support him," Conway said, ABC's MICHAEL EDISON HAYDEN notes. http://abcn.ws/2kj0gfk

Happening on the Hill

As President Trump blames airport delays on the "tears of Chuck Schumer," referencing his emotional press conference at JFK yesterday, Democratic leaders of the House and Senate will bring "refugees, immigrants and members of the community" to call on Trump to reverse the executive order, ABC's ALI ROGIN reports. On top of all the pressing news of the day, the Senate will hold a vote to advance the confirmation of Secretary of State-designate Rex Tillerson – the actual confirmation vote is likely to come on Wednesday. The Finance Committee will vote to report out the nomination of Treasury Secretary-designate Steve Mnuchin.