Former US President Donald Trump on Saturday vowed to restore a controversial travel ban on people from a handful of Muslim-majority countries if he is elected for a second term at the White House, earning criticism from the current Biden administration.
Speaking at the annual summit of the Republican Jewish Coalition, the 77-year-old Trump said, "You remember the travel ban? On day one, I will restore our travel ban. We had a travel ban because we didn’t want people coming into our country who really love the idea of blowing our country up."
The Republican presidential frontrunner claimed that the travel ban imposed during his administration from 2016-20 was a huge success, adding that "we didn't one incident in four years because we kept bad people the hell out of our country."
Notably, Trump imposed restrictions on the entry of travellers from Iran, Libya, Somalia, Syria, Yemen and, initially, Iraq and Sudan. The executive order was met with fierce opposition and was fought all the way to the US supreme court. The high court eventually upheld a third version of the ban, which included travelers from North Korea and some from Venezuela. After the 2020 presidential elections, newly-elected President Joe Biden revoked the travel bans.
Trump also promised to stand with Israel to destroy Hamas, defend America and Israel from barbaric terrorists and reverse Biden's 'appeasement' of Iran. "We love you, we're with you, we grieve with you, we share your anger and we stand with you 100 per cent...110 per cent," he said to Israelis and Americans affected by the conflict.
He also promised to prevent a possible World War III and claimed to keep America, Israel and the world safe during his presidency by highlighting the killing of "butcher" Iranian military officer Qassem Soleimani
"Instead of cuddling up to the killers in Iran as Biden has done, I will once again sanction them until their ability to fund terror is ABSOLUTELY GONE. And I will unleash the most powerful economic weapon there is on Earth—DRILL BABY DRILL!” said Trump in his address, further asserting that he will eliminate every open border policy of the Biden administration.
White House's response
After Trump's sweeping claims, the White House immediately slammed the former President, terming the travel ban as 'vile and un-American'. "In 2020, President (Joe) Biden decried the ‘unconscionable’ rise in Islamophobia – which he called a ‘pernicious disease’ – and was proud to overturn the vile, un-American Muslim ban enacted by his predecessor," said White House spokesperson Andrew Bates.
“The need to come together against rancid hate is more pressing now than ever, as American Muslims and Arab Americans increasingly find themselves the targets of appalling smears and heartbreaking violence – including the barbaric killing of a 6-year-old child,” he said.
Bates further said that disgraceful attacks against Arab Americans and the Muslim community must be strongly condemned and Islamophobic incidents are a direct attack on the character of the nation.
'Chaos, vendetta and drama': Nikki Haley slams Trump
Meanwhile, Indian-American presidential aspirant Nikki Haley on Thursday slammed Trump, saying his victory in the upcoming presidential elections will result in "four years of chaos, vendetta and drama" which will set a dangerous precedent for the United States.
In the strongest criticism of her former boss, the 51-year-old former South Carolina Governor said, "We can’t afford to go down that road - not now. Eight years ago, it was good to have a leader who broke things. But right now, we need a leader who also knows how to put things back together. America needs a captain who will steady the ship, not capsize it."
However, Haley did give Trump credit for certain things, such as his pro-Israel policies including the recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital and pulling from the Iran nuclear deal. She also stated that the US cannot afford to let Biden get re-elected.
"He’s bad enough. But even worse is waiting in the wings. A vote for President Biden is a vote for President Kamala Harris. We can’t survive a President Kamala Harris," she said, adding that if she is elected as president, Haley will not criticise Israel in the midst of war.
This was in reference to when Trump criticised Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and called Hezbollah, another anti-Israel militant group, “very smart", days after Hamas attacked Israel.
"Iran and Russia are joined at the hip. And they’re both unlimited partners of Communist China. Iran, Russia, and China are all part of an unholy alliance. They have no problem invading their neighbours. They have no regard for human life," Haley further continued.
(with PTI inputs)
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