President Donald Trump said Friday he will take another security-related action "sometime next week" after a court ruling that upheld a suspension of his divisive immigration executive order.
"We'll be doing something very rapidly having to do with the security of our country," Trump said at a joint news conference with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe after the pair met at the White House.
Trump did not specify what action he would take. The president said he will "continue to go through the court process," but did not explicitly commit to pushing for the Supreme Court to hear the case.
The ruling Thursday dealt another blow to Trump's order, which barred travel by nationals from seven predominantly Muslim countries to the United States for 90 days. Trump's team has defended its legality amid court setbacks, saying the measure was necessary to prevent terrorism. Trump has alleged that the judges who ruled against his administration have political motives.
Trump did not make it clear Friday what his next action would be. However, White House lawyers began rewriting the executive order in a version that could better stand a legal test in the days before the appeals ruling, NBC News reported Friday, citing a senior administration official.
The White House is considering fighting for the measure in court or signing a new order "very soon," NBC said.
The White House did not respond to a request for comment from CNBC.
Trump's order sparked confusion at airports and protests from people around the country. Some interest groups and Democratic lawmakers argued that it constituted a ban based on religion after Trump's rhetoric at points during his presidential campaign targeted Muslims. The White House has disputed that characterization.
Many pockets of the business world, particularly technology companies, also argued that the order would cause harm.
On Friday, Trump maintained that the order is about security.
"We're going to do whatever's necessary to keep our country safe. ... Safety is a primary reason, one of the reasons I'm standing here today," he said.
During the appeal, the Justice Department argued that the president had the authority to issue the order and that its suspension posed risks to the public. The three-judge panel unanimously ruled against reinstating it.
Watch: Court refuses to reinstate travel ban
