White House excoriates Trump vow to reinstate travel ban amid Israel-Hamas conflict

A White House spokesman on Tuesday tore into former President Donald Trump's vow to reinstate and expand a travel ban on countries with terrorist activity should he return to the White House, calling Trump's rhetoric "poison" and calling on Americans to unite against both Islamophobia and anti-Semitism.

Speaking at a campaign event in Iowa on Monday, Trump stated that "I will immediately reinstate and expand the wildly successful Trump Travel Ban on entry from terror-plagued countries, territories, and places." His original travel ban effectively barred all entry from Chad, Iran, Libya, North Korea, Syria, Venezuela, and Yemen, all of which were either terrorist hotbeds or adversaries of the United States.

"It just kept us safe... if you're coming from somewhere full of people who want to kill Americans, we will not let you in," he added, further including Gaza and Somalia on his list for a future ban.

White House deputy press secretary Andrew Bates on Tuesday fumed over the declaration, saying "It is revolting and dangerous to tear people apart right now with cruel poison that undermines our basic values as Americans," The Hill reported. "And no one who praises Iran-backed terrorist groups has any credibility when it comes to protecting our national security from terrorist threats."

Trump, earlier this month, referred to the Iran-backed Hezbollah as "very smart," earning a cavalcade of criticisms and accusations that he praised the group. In context, Trump was criticizing Israeli officials for publicly broadcasting their perceived weaknesses to enemy factions and pointing to Hezbollah's strategic acumen.

Bates also pointed to the ongoing conflict between Israel and the terror group Hamas, brought on by the latter's bloody incursion into Israeli territory.

"After the terrorist atrocities in Israel and after the heartbreaking murder of a 6 year old Palestinian American child this week — a 6 year old child — this is a moment when all leaders need to come together against hate; against Islamophobia, against antisemitism," he said.

Ben Whedon is an editor and reporter for Just the News. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter.