The Slatest

Trump Calls Court Hearings on His Muslim Ban “Disgraceful”

President Donald Trump speaks as he meets with county sheriffs during a listening session in the Roosevelt Room of the White House on Tuesday.

Andrew Harrer - Pool/Getty Images

In a speech to sheriffs and police chiefs in Washington on Wednesday morning, President Trump called Tuesday’s hearings in the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals over his Muslim ban “disgraceful.” From the New York Times:

Mr. Trump, who opened his remarks reciting the passage of the United States code that gives the president the power to restrict immigration whenever he deems the influx of foreigners detrimental to the country, said he had watched “in amazement” Tuesday night as a three-judge federal appeals panel heard arguments on his executive order and the limits of presidential power in cases of national security.

“I listened to a bunch of stuff last night on television that was disgraceful,” Mr. Trump said. “I think it’s sad. I think it’s a sad day. I think our security is at risk today.”

Trump went on to condemn one judge who had presided over the hearing, though it’s unclear which one (“I will not comment on the statements made by, certainly one judge”) and praise a judge in Boston who had ruled favorably on the ban.

“I have to be honest that, if these judges wanted to, in my opinion help the court in terms of respect for the court, they’d do what they should be doing,” Trump said. “It’s so sad.”

In an early morning tweet, the president implied that if the case does not go his way, it will be because of politics, not the law: