President Donald Trump responded to the nationwide restraining order issued on his revised travel ban on Wednesday, calling the temporary halt an “unprecedented judicial overreach.”
Speaking to supporters at a rally in Nashville, the president said that the latest iteration was a “watered-down version” of the original executive order and that he would challenge the ruling up to the Supreme Court, if necessary.
“We’re going to fight this terrible ruling, we’re going to take our case as far it needs to go in the Supreme Court,” Trump said. “We’re going to win, we’re going to keep our citizens safe, and regardless, we’re going to keep our citizens safe, believe me.
“You don’t think this was done by a judge for political reasons? No! This ruling makes us look weak! Which by the way we no longer are believe me,” the president added.
Trump also said he wanted to return to the first ban, which targeted even more immigrants and was also blocked by a federal court.
“I think we ought to go back to the first [ban], and go all the way,” he said. “That’s what I wanted to do in the first place.”
Earlier on Wednesday, a federal judge in Hawaii blocked Trump’s second attempt at a travel ban aimed at six Muslim-majority countries, which was set to go in effect a day later on Thursday. U.S. District Judge Derrick Watson argued in his ruling that the revised executive order still discriminated on the basis of nationality and prevented Hawaii residents from receiving visits from family members in the six affected countries, according to the Associated Press. The state also felt that the proposed ban would harm Hawaii’s tourism economy and damage Hawaiian schools and businesses seeking to recruit foreign citizens.
Hawaii was the first state to legally challenge the president’s travel ban. More than a half a dozen states are also trying to halt the order.
More Must-Reads from TIME
- Breaking Down the 2024 Election Calendar
- How Nayib Bukele’s ‘Iron Fist’ Has Transformed El Salvador
- What if Ultra-Processed Foods Aren’t as Bad as You Think?
- How Ukraine Beat Russia in the Battle of the Black Sea
- Long COVID Looks Different in Kids
- How Project 2025 Would Jeopardize Americans’ Health
- What a $129 Frying Pan Says About America’s Eating Habits
- The 32 Most Anticipated Books of Fall 2024
Contact us at letters@time.com