I'm pretty sure the President's objective in issuing the travel ban, was to protect the American people, and not to provoke a showdown with the left wingers in the judiciary.
Now that they've been 'triggered' by his wholly legal, constitutional actions, he's made a strategic blunder by throwing it back into their ballcourt to render further judgements against him.
The better response would have been to ignore the judge's illegal ruling, and hold his position in space. Instead, he's now asking the judicial branch for permission to be president.
The President could have accomplished the same thing without the EO. The whole purpose of the EO was to push it into the public eye. I can say with 100% certainty that Trump did do all he did to get to the White House, only to beg permission from a simpering sh!tbag in a black robe.