Trump administration defends 'lawful' travel ban

Washington : The US government on Monday defended President Donald Trump's travel ban as a "lawful exercise" of his authority, and urged an appeals court to reinstate the suspended measure in the interests of national security.

Three days after a federal judge put the controversial measure on hold, Justice Department lawyers filed a court brief challenging the nationwide injunction as "vastly overbroad."

An hour-long telephone hearing has been set for Tuesday at 3:00 pm (2300 GMT) in a high-stakes case that looks increasingly likely to be settled by the Supreme Court.

Two new polls show a majority of Americans now oppose the travel ban on refugees and travellers from seven mostly-Muslim nations, which prompted airport chaos and condemnation around the world -- but Trump has shown no sign of bending, pushing back late Monday in a new Twitter salvo.

"The threat from radical Islamic terrorism is very real, just look at what is happening in Europe and the Middle-East. Courts must act fast!" he wrote.

Earlier in the day, during a visit to US Central Command in Tampa, Florida, Trump accused the media of downplaying the terror threat that his administration cites to justify its ban, saying they purposefully ignored jihadist atrocities.

Although he failed to provide evidence of a conspiracy by the media, the White House later distributed a list of 78 attacks it said were "executed or inspired by" the Islamic State group, saying most failed to receive adequate media coverage.

However, the claims ignore a large amount of reporting on these attacks by the jihadist group and its sympathizers in Western countries.