President Donald Trump said late on Friday aboard Air Force One that he is considering issuing a new travel ban executive order, while White House Chief of Staff Reince Priebus said the administration could still escalate a legal dispute over Trump's original travel ban order to the U.S. Supreme Court.

In a step that triggered the most serious legal confrontation yet for the new Republican administration, Trump two weeks ago issued an executive order banning entry into the United States by refugees and citizens of seven Muslim-majority countries, triggering nationwide protests and legal challenges.

A federal judge in Seattle last week issued a temporary restraining order putting the travel ban on hold. That suspension was upheld by an appeals court in San Francisco on Thursday, raising questions about Trump's next step.

In a surprise visit with reporters aboard Air Force One en route to Florida from Washington, Trump said he was considering "a brand new order" that could be issued as soon as Monday or Tuesday if he decides to move in that direction.

After a White House official said the administration was not planning to escalate the legal dispute to the Supreme Court, Priebus told reporters late on Friday such a move was still possible.

"Every single court option is on the table, including an appeal of the Ninth Circuit decision on the TRO (temporary restraining order) to the Supreme Court, including fighting out this case on the merits," Priebus said.

"And, in addition to that, we're pursuing executive orders right now that we expect to be enacted soon that will further protect Americans from terrorism."

Trump's order, which he called a national security measure meant to head off attacks by Islamist militants, barred people from Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen from entering for 90 days and all refugees for 120 days, except refugees from Syria, who are banned indefinitely.

Trump could rewrite the order to explicitly exclude green card holders, or permanent residents, said a congressional aide familiar with the matter who asked not to be identified. Doing that could alleviate some concerns with the original order expressed by judges in the 9th Circuit court where it is being tested.

On Air Force One, Trump said regarding the 9th Circuit court fight: "We will win that battle. The unfortunate part is that it takes time statutorily ... We need speed for reasons of security."

An official familiar with Trump's plans said if the order is rewritten, among those involved would likely be White House aide Stephen Miller, who was involved in drafting the original order, as well as officials of the National Security Council, Justice Department and Department of Homeland Security.

Independently of the Trump administration, an unidentified judge on the 9th Circuit requested that the court's 25 full time judges vote on whether the temporary block of Trump's travel ban should be reheard before an 11 judge panel, known as en banc review, according to a court order. The 9th Circuit asked both sides to file briefs by Thursday.</s>PALM BEACH, Fla./WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump is considering issuing a new executive order banning citizens of certain countries traveling to the United States after his initial attempt to clamp down on immigration and refugees snarled to a halt amid political and judicial chaos.

Trump announced the possibility of a “brand new order” that could be issued as soon as Monday or Tuesday, in a surprise talk with reporters aboard Air Force One late on Friday, as he and the Japanese premier headed to his estate in Florida for the weekend.

His signaling of a possible new tack came a day after an appeals court in San Francisco upheld a court ruling last week that temporarily suspended Trump’s original Jan. 27 executive order banning travel from seven majority-Muslim countries.

Trump gave no details of any new ban he is considering. He might rewrite the original order to explicitly exclude green card holders, or permanent residents, said a congressional aide familiar with the matter, who asked not to be identified. Doing that could alleviate some concerns expressed by the courts.

A new order, however, could allow Trump’s critics to declare victory by arguing he was forced to change course in his first major policy as president.

Whether or not Trump issues a new order, his administration may still pursue its case in the courts over the original order, which is still being reviewed by the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.

White House Chief of Staff Reince Priebus told reporters late on Friday that taking the case to the Supreme Court remained a possibility, after another White House official said earlier in the day the administration was not planning to escalate the dispute.

“Every single court option is on the table, including an appeal of the Ninth Circuit decision on the TRO (temporary restraining order) to the Supreme Court, including fighting out this case on the merits,” Priebus said.

“And, in addition to that, we’re pursuing executive orders right now that we expect to be enacted soon that will further protect Americans from terrorism.”

REWRITE ORDER

Trump’s original order, which he called a national security measure meant to head off attacks by Islamist militants, barred people from Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen from entering for 90 days and all refugees for 120 days, except refugees from Syria, who were banned indefinitely.

The abrupt implementation of the order plunged the immigration system into chaos, sparking a wave of criticism from targeted countries, Western allies and some of America’s leading corporations, especially technology firms.

Iranian citizen and U.S green card holder Cyrus Khosravi (L) greets his brother, Hamidreza Khosravi (C), and niece, Dena Khosravi (R), 2, after they were detained for additional screening following their arrival to Seattle-Tacoma International Airport to visit Cyrus, during a pause in U.S. President Donald Trump's travel ban in SeaTac, Washington, U.S. February 6, 2017. REUTERS/David Ryder

A federal judge in Seattle suspended the order last Friday after its legality was challenged by Washington state, eliciting a barrage of angry Twitter messages from Trump against the judge and the court system. That ruling was upheld by an appeals court in San Francisco on Thursday, raising questions about Trump’s next step.

An official familiar with Trump’s plans said if the order is rewritten, among those involved would likely be White House aide Stephen Miller, who was involved in drafting the original order, as well as officials of the National Security Council, Justice Department and Department of Homeland Security.

It is not clear if a new order from Trump would immediately put a travel ban back in place, or if those who have filed lawsuits, including the state of Washington, would succeed in asking the same judge for another hold.

Should Trump issue a new order, he is still likely to face legal challenges, as opponents could ask the court to let them amend their complaints, said Alexander Reinert, a professor at Yeshiva University’s Cardozo School of Law in New York.

‘WE NEED SPEED’

On Air Force One, Trump addressed the San Francisco court fight, saying: “We will win that battle. The unfortunate part is that it takes time statutorily... We need speed for reasons of security.”

The matter could move forward next week. An unidentified judge on the 9th Circuit on Friday requested that the court’s 25 full-time judges vote on whether the temporary block of Trump’s travel ban should be reheard before an 11-judge panel, known as en banc review, according to a court order. The 9th Circuit asked both sides to file briefs by Thursday.

Slideshow (3 Images)

In a separate case on Friday, Justice Department lawyers argued in federal court in Alexandria, Virginia against a preliminary injunction that would put a longer hold on Trump’s executive order than the Seattle court ruling, but focused solely on visa holders.

Judge Leonie Brinkema asked the administration for more evidence of the threat posed by citizens of the seven countries.

Aboard the flight with Trump were his wife Melania, daughter Ivanka, son-in-law Jared Kushner and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and his wife Akie. The Trumps landed in the evening and went to their Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach.</s>PALM BEACH, Fla./WASHINGTON - U.S. President Donald Trump is considering issuing a new executive order banning citizens of certain countries traveling to the United States after his initial attempt to clamp down on immigration and refugees snarled to a halt amid political and judicial chaos.

Trump announced the possibility of a "brand new order" that could be issued as soon as Monday or Tuesday, in a surprise talk with reporters aboard Air Force One late on Friday, as he and the Japanese premier headed to his estate in Florida for the weekend.

His signaling of a possible new tack came a day after an appeals court in San Francisco upheld a court ruling last week that temporarily suspended Trump's original Jan. 27 executive order banning travel from seven majority-Muslim countries.

Trump gave no details of any new ban he is considering. He might rewrite the original order to explicitly exclude green card holders, or permanent residents, said a congressional aide familiar with the matter, who asked not to be identified. Doing that could alleviate some concerns expressed by the courts.

A new order, however, could allow Trump's critics to declare victory by arguing he was forced to change course in his first major policy as president.

Whether or not Trump issues a new order, his administration may still pursue its case in the courts over the original order, which is still being reviewed by the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.

White House Chief of Staff Reince Priebus told reporters late on Friday that taking the case to the Supreme Court remained a possibility, after another White House official said earlier in the day the administration was not planning to escalate the dispute.

"Every single court option is on the table, including an appeal of the Ninth Circuit decision on the TRO (temporary restraining order) to the Supreme Court, including fighting out this case on the merits," Priebus said.

"And, in addition to that, we're pursuing executive orders right now that we expect to be enacted soon that will further protect Americans from terrorism."</s>ABOARD AIR FORCE ONE/WASHINGTON -- U.S. President Donald Trump said late on Friday he is considering issuing a new travel ban executive order, while a White House official said the administration did not plan to escalate a legal dispute over Trump's original travel ban order to the Supreme Court.

Trump's original order banning entry to the United States by refugees and citizens of seven Muslim-majority countries was put on hold by a federal judge in Seattle last week with a temporary restraining order, and that suspension was upheld by an appeals court in San Francisco on Thursday.

Trump said during a surprise visit with reporters aboard Air Force One en route to Florida from Washington that he was considering "a brand new order" that could be issued as soon as Monday or Tuesday if the administration decides to move in that direction.

The White House official separately said: "We are actively considering changes or other executive orders that will keep our country safe from terrorism."

The official said: "The temporary restraining order, we would not take to the Supreme Court, but we are reviewing all options in the court system."</s>U.S. President Donald Trump is considering issuing a new executive order banning citizens of certain countries traveling to the United States after his initial attempt to clamp down on immigration and refugees snarled to a halt amid political and judicial chaos.

Trump announced the possibility of a "brand new order" that could be issued as soon as Monday or Tuesday, in a surprise talk with reporters aboard Air Force One late on Friday, as he and the Japanese premier headed to his estate in Florida for the weekend.

His signaling of a possible new tack came a day after an appeals court in San Francisco upheld a court ruling last week that temporarily suspended Trump's original Jan. 27 executive order banning travel from seven majority-Muslim countries.

Trump gave no details of any new ban he is considering. He might rewrite the original order to explicitly exclude green card holders, or permanent residents, said a congressional aide familiar with the matter, who asked not to be identified. Doing that could alleviate some concerns expressed by the courts.

A new order, however, could allow Trump's critics to declare victory by arguing he was forced to change course in his first major policy as president.</s>× Trump considering new order on immigration

President Donald Trump says that he’s considering signing a new executive order on immigration as the one he signed suspending the nation’s refugee program and barring citizens from seven Muslim-majority countries is held up in court.

Trump tells reporters aboard Air Force One on his way to Florida that he’s confident he’ll win his court battle.

But he says, “we also have a lot of other options, including just filing a brand new order.”

He adds: “We need speed for reasons of security. So it could very well be that we do that.”

Trump says a new order would likely change “very little” from the first and says he’ll likely act next Monday or Tuesday.

He adds of his decision: “I’d like to surprise you.”</s>Donald Trump is considering a new executive order to ban citizens of certain countries from travelling to the US after his initial attempt was overturned …</s>President Donald Trump said Friday that he is considering rewriting his executive order temporarily barring refugees and citizens of seven Muslim-majority countries from entering the country, indicating that the administration may try to quickly restore some aspects of the now-frozen travel ban or replace it with other face-saving measures. Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One that he would probably wait until Monday or Tuesday to take any action, and White House Chief of Staff Reince Priebus said several options - including taking the case to the Supreme Court - were still on the table.

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Aboard Air Force One, President Trump tells reporters he is considering issuing a revised policy banning citizens of certain countries traveling to the United States.