US President Donald Trump has once again suggested that Texas Republican Senator Ted Cruz could be his choice for a future vacancy on the Supreme Court, joking that the senator would receive unanimous support from lawmakers because both Democrats and Republicans would welcome his departure from Congress.
Trump remarked during a midterm campaign rally in Lubbock, Texas, where he praised Cruz’s legal background and academic record while mocking his relationships with fellow senators.
The president recalled the difficulties he faced securing Senate approval for his three Supreme Court nominees during his first term: Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh and Amy Coney Barrett.
“I picked three Supreme Court justices, and it’s very hard to get them approved,” Trump said.
He then described Cruz as a highly qualified lawyer, saying, “I said, ‘Look, I have an answer to it.’ Ted is a brilliant guy, brilliant lawyer, brilliant all that.”
Trump continued by highlighting Cruz’s academic achievements and credentials before explaining why he believed nominating the senator would avoid the usual political battles surrounding Supreme Court appointments.
“Went to law school, top student, everything, top credentials. I said, ‘I have an answer to not being able to get it past the Democrats or the Republicans together.’ I would pick Ted Cruz to be the next Supreme Court justice.”
The president argued that Democrats and Republicans would support the nomination for the same reason: their alleged dislike of the Texas senator.
Trump predicted that Democrats would “100 percent” back Cruz because “they hate the guy and they want to get rid of him.”
He added, “And the Republicans would 100 percent vote for it because they can’t stand him. They would like to get rid of him. So I’d get 100 percent of the vote, and he would be a Supreme Court justice, and he’d do a great job.”
Trump has repeatedly floated the possibility of Cruz joining the Supreme Court, often using the idea to joke about the senator’s strained relationships with some of his colleagues in Washington.
During a White House event in July promoting Trump Accounts, the president made a similar remark, suggesting that Cruz leaving the Senate would be one of the few issues capable of bringing Democrats and Republicans together.
However, Cruz has indicated that he is not interested in leaving his elected position for a lifetime appointment to the country’s highest court.
Speaking at an event hosted by The Wall Street Journal in April, Cruz disclosed that Trump had previously discussed the possibility of nominating him to the Supreme Court.
The senator said the president had spoken to him “seriously” about a potential vacancy but explained that he preferred remaining involved in political debates and policymaking rather than moving to the judiciary.
“In the first Trump term, the president spoke to me seriously about all three vacancies, and three times I said no, because I don’t want to be out of the arena of the political battle,” Cruz said during a Wall Street Journal Opinion Live interview.
Although Trump’s latest comments were delivered humorously, they renewed attention on his previous discussions with Cruz about a possible Supreme Court appointment and the senator’s stated preference to remain in the Senate.
