(CNN) President Donald Trump on Monday declined to apologize for his campaign-era proposal to ban all Muslims from the United States, saying "there's nothing to apologize for."

"There's no reason to apologize," Trump said during a joint news conference alongside the President of Nigeria when asked if he would apologize for his call during the 2016 presidential campaign for a "total and complete shutdown of Muslims entering the United States. There's nothing to apologize for. We have to have strong immigration laws to protect our country."

Trump's refusal to apologize for or rescind his calls during the 2016 campaign for banning all Muslims from entering the United States has been repeatedly cited during court cases concerning the travel ban he put in place last year. Trump said he did not believe an apology would change the course of the legal case.

Instead, Trump continued to slam current US immigration laws during the news conference Monday.

"Our immigration laws in this country are a total disaster. They're laughed at all over the world," Trump said.

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