On March 11, 2020, President Trump issued a proclamation that suspended entry to the United States from most of Europe. After a series of amendments by both administrations, also in the form of proclamations, it resulted in what is today an extensive travel ban for people who cannot produce accepted vaccine documentation (which is, unfortunately, most of the population).
By many sources, proclamations seem to be mostly ceremonial and pertain to relatively unimportant matters:
The President of the United States communicates information on holidays, commemorations, special observances, trade, and policy through Proclamations. https://www.federalregister.gov/presidential-documents/proclamations
Presidential proclamations are often dismissed as a practical tool for policy making because they are considered to be largely ceremonial or symbolic. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Presidential_proclamation_(United_States)
In contrast, Muslim travel ban, pretty much identical in nature, and of much lesser scope and impact, was issued by an Executive Order.
Why was arguably one of the most important pieces of modern federal legislation, which wiped out an entire chunk of the economy overnight, implemented in a way generally reserved for symbollic and ceremonial matters?
