Donald Trump tweeted out his disgust at House Democrats who passed the “No Ban Act” that specifically forbids presidents — present and future — from issuing a travel ban for any country, accusing the Dems of going “Stone Cold left — Venezuela on steroids!”
The Democrats in the House are trying to undo my big win Travel Ban Bill, which successfully keeps very bad and dangerous people out of our great Country. Passed along party lines. Hopefully, will be DEAD in the Senate! The Dems have gone Stone Cold Left – Venezuela on steroids!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 25, 2020
Trump is right that the legislation has zero chance of passing the Senate. But its passage in the Democratic House serves as a potent reminder to voters how radical and extreme the Democratic Party is.
Shortly after taking office in 2017, Trump signed an executive order that banned entry into the United States for 90 days of nationals from seven Muslim-majority countries, banned the entry of all refugees for 120 days, and indefinitely banned the entry of all Syrian refugees.
The measure was dubbed a “Muslim ban” and faced numerous legal challenges. A version of it was ultimately upheld by the Supreme Court in June 2018 after a mechanism was added for nationals from the banned countries to enter the U.S. by obtaining a waiver.
The No Ban Act would repeal all of Trump’s travel bans and would prevent future presidents from enacting similar broad bans based on national origin.
I guess that includes not being able to ban travel from nations we’re at war with. If that’s the case, why not just send an engraved invitation to saboteurs and terrorists from countries we’re at war with and roll out the red carpet for them when they arrive?
Democrats rebuked the travel ban as xenophobic and a shameful stain on America’s reputation as a beacon for religious tolerance and inclusion.
“This ban never had anything to do with national security; it was always driven by prejudice,” said bill sponsor Rep. Judy Chu, D-Calif.
What’s really convenient about this is that we don’t know if the ban prevented any terrorists from coming here. Democrats can posture and weep all they want because no Somali or Yemen terrorists managed to make it here.
The ban was not “xenophobic” when taking into account terrorist attacks around the world.
“This is not a Muslim ban,” said Rep. Andy Biggs (R-Ariz.). “This is a legitimate travel restriction implemented for the safety of this nation.”
That pretty much sums up the difference between reality and politics. The Democrats found it useful to gin up outrage and fear among Muslims about a “Muslim ban” that wasn’t targeting only Muslims and wasn’t even a ban to begin with.
“Venezuela on steroids” is a useful tool to remind voters of how extreme the Democrats are. Trump knows that he has to start defining Joe Biden by the company he keeps. It may be the only way he can move the needle enough to get back in the race. Expect more of the same the rest of the summer as Trump’s billion-dollar ad campaign picks up steam.
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