Trump’s ‘Muslim ban’ is nothing of the sort, but what the hell is going on?

Among Donald Trump’s many neologisms is the ‘What the hell is going on’ evidentiary standard. It was introduced by Trump during his presidential campaign as his biggest dare yet: ‘a complete and total shutdown of Muslims entering the United States until our country’s representatives can figure out what the hell is going on’. A high hurdle to clear, no doubt, and a controversial idea. Whether it would ever be implemented was unknown—after Trump’s election the Muslim ban was scrubbed from his website, then restored, with a spokesman blaming a technical glitch.

Now we have our answers. Fleshed into public policy, figuring out ‘what the hell is going on’ means the government reviewing the security of America’s immigration system. During this time, according to the executive order President Trump signed last Friday, all refugees will be barred from the United States for four months. Syrian refugees will be barred indefinitely, and all visitors from seven terrorism-blistered countries—Iraq, Syria, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, and Yemen—will be barred for 90 days.