President Donald Trump vowed Monday (6 February) to keep "radical Islamic terrorists" from attacking the US as he defended his controversial travel ban for refugees and travellers from seven predominately-Muslim countries. Trump also promised "beautiful new equipment" for the military during his visit to MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa, Florida.

"We need strong programmes so that people that love us and want to love our country and will end up loving our country are allowed in, not people who want to destroy us and destroy our country," the president said at the headquarters of the US Central Command and the US Special Operations Command.

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He continued: "We're up against an enemy that celebrates death and totally worships destruction. You've seen that. Isis is on a campaign of genocide, committing atrocities across the world. Radical Islamic terrorists are determined to strike our homeland.

"To these forces of death and destruction, America and its allies will defeat you," Trump promised. USA Today reported the president also vowed to challenge fellow Nato allies and others to pay more for US defence assistance.

According to The Washington Post, the president discussed several terrorist attacks in the US, including 9/11 and the Boston Marathon bombing. Trump also noted that Europe continues to experience terrorist attacks, including some that do not receive media coverage.

"All over Europe, it's happening. It's gotten to a point where it's not even being reported," he said. "And in many cases, the very, very dishonest press doesn't want to report it. They have their reasons, and you understand that."

White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer later clarified that the president meant the attacks were not "unreported" but "underreported". "He felt members of the media don't always cover some of those events to the extent that other events might get covered," Spicer said. "Protests will get blown out of the water, and yet an attack or a foiled attack doesn't necessarily get the same coverage."

The White House later released a list of attacks it felt "did not receive adequate attention from Western media sources". It included the widely reported San Bernadino shooting, Orlando club shooting and Nice attack.

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