The Trump White House did not react well to a federal judge’s order blocking their Muslim travel ban nationwide.

A statement from Press Secretary Sean Spicer was dripping with rage:

At the earliest possible time, the Department of Justice intends to file an emergency stay of this order and defend the executive order of the President, which we believe is lawful and appropriate. The president’s order is intended to protect the homeland and he has the constitutional authority and responsibility to protect the American people.

As the law states, “Whenever the President finds that the entry of any aliens or of any class of aliens into the United States would be detrimental to the interests of the United States, he may by proclamation, and for such period as he shall deem necessary, suspend the entry of all aliens or any class of aliens as immigrants or nonimmigrants, or impose on the entry of aliens any restrictions he may deem to be appropriate.”

The Trump White House is selling this Executive Order as protection, but there have been no terrorist attacks committed in the United States committed by an immigrant from any of the banned countries.

The White House is also making a similar argument about executive power and immigration that the Obama administration used to defend their executive orders. The Obama administration lost in court. President Trump’s White House is claiming a legal precedent that is not likely to hold up based on vague and broad his Executive Order is.

The Trump White House has quickly taken on the character of its boss. When something doesn’t go his way, Trump fills the air with indignant outrage. There was a strong undertone of that same mentality in Spicer’s statement.

This was a crushing defeat for an administration that is struggling to get off of the ground. The worst part about it for Republicans is that the Executive Order was a self-inflicted wound that would have been easily avoided by an administration where competence and experience were a staffing priority.

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