'A lot of bad dudes out there!': Trump launches into morning tweetstorm defending immigration order
President Donald Trump continued Monday to defend his executive order barring immigrants from seven Muslim-majority countries from entering the US.
After days of confusion and protests at airports over the order - which bars citizens Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen from traveling to the US - Trump argued on Twitter that it resulted in few detentions at airports, blaming passenger delays due to an unrelated Delta systems malfunction.
Some observers said Trump's orders de-emphasized the number of travelers affected by the hasty implementation of the travel ban, stranding many in transit and blocking some from pre-scheduled flights.
The president also knocked Sen. Chuck Schumer, who teared up during a press conference Sunday while dubbing the executive order "mean-spirited" and "un-American."
Trump has faced enormous bipartisan backlash over the implementation of the order, which was reportedly hastily executed by top staff members, including chief White House strategist Steve Bannon.
While many Democrats and civil-liberties advocates decried the order as unconstitutional, many Senate Republicans also criticized the rollout of the order, which left top government officials out of the loop and confused customs and border agents, causing hours-long detentions and uncertainty.
"It is clear from the confusion at our airports across the nation that President Trump's executive order was not properly vetted. We are particularly concerned by reports that this order went into effect with little to no consultation with the Departments of State, Defense, Justice, and Homeland Security," Republican Sens. John McCain and Lindsey Graham wrote in a joint statement on Sunday.
For their part, Trump and his top White House brass have publicly dismissed critics.
Appearing on "Meet The Press" on Sunday, chief of staff Reince Priebus suggested that the order may expand at some point to include other countries that the administration fears harbor potential terrorists.
"Perhaps some of these people should be detained further. And if they're folks that shouldn't be in this country they're going to be detained," Priebus told NBC. "So apologies for nothing here."