Former top GOP official, now Purdue president Daniels slams Trump refugee order

Bill Theobald | USA TODAY

Purdue University President Mitch Daniels, who considered running for president and is a favorite of mainstream Republicans, provided among the harshest critiques of any GOPer in response to President Trump's order banning some refugees from entering the country.

"The president's order related to immigration is a bad idea, poorly implemented, and I hope that he will promptly revoke and rethink it," Daniels said in a statement released by the Indiana school.

"If the idea is to strengthen the protection of Americans against terrorism, there are many far better ways to achieve it," Daniels said.

He said about 100 of Purdue's 40,000 students are from the seven majority-Muslim Middle East countries whose citizens were temporarily banned from the U.S. by Trump. About 10 faculty members are from those countries, Daniels said.

Trump's order, issued Friday, left some students and faculty members stranded outside the U.S., but Daniels said he was not aware of any Purdue students or faculty who were caught up in the controversy. He advised students and faculty who might be effected by the ban to not leave the U.S. until new guidance is issued by the State Department and the Department of Homeland Security.

Daniels served as the Director of the Office of Management and Budget under President George W. Bush, and was mentioned as a possible presidential candidate for 2012 and 2016.