President Trump refused to back down when a reporter asked Monday if he thought apologizing for previous statements about a “Muslim ban” might help his travel ban case currently before the Supreme Court.
“There’s no reason to apologize,” Trump said during joint press conference with Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari. “Our immigration laws in this country are a total disaster. They’re laughed at all over the world, they’re laughed at for their stupidity. And we have to have strong immigration laws. So I think if I apologize, wouldn’t make ten cents worth of difference to them. There’s nothing to apologize for.”
Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts brought up the issue of an apology during a SCOTUS hearing last week, asking an attorney challenging Trump’s travel ban if an apology or disavowal of some of Trump’s inflammatory comments would ease concerns about whether or not the current ban is constitutional, according to Politico.
While Trump arguably could have made his case easier, he instead chose to double-down.
“He’s not into apologizing,” a former administration official told Politico. “Generally speaking, he’s not a big believer in backing down.”
The travel ban policy currently under review is the Trump administration’s third attempt, and includes travel restrictions involving eight nations, including Iran, Libya, North Korea, Somalia, Syria, Venezuela, and Yemen. The ban against Chad was lifted earlier this month following that nation’s review of its immigration and security practices.
A final Supreme Court decision on the current policy is expected in June.
One former administration official called attempts to get Trump to apologize for his previous remarks a “political play.”
“They are trying to get Trump to say something everyone in the world knows he’s not going to do,” the official told Politico. “And, the fact of the matter is it’s not going to matter.”