In a rally in Lubbock, Texas on Tuesday, President Donald Trump announced he would nominate Republican Senator Ted Cruz of Texas to the United States Supreme Court should a vacancy open up within the next two years.
Trump stated that Cruz would resolve the challenges he faced during his first term when attempting to confirm Justices Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh, and Amy Coney Barrett. “They would like to get rid of him. So I’d get 100% of the vote, and he would be a Supreme Court justice, and he’d do a great job,” Trump told supporters.
The president added that Democrats would “100%” approve Cruz because they “hate the guy” and want to remove him from office, while Republicans would also support Cruz since they “can’t stand him.”
Trump praised Cruz as a “brilliant guy, brilliant lawyer, brilliant all that. Went to law school, top student, everything, top credentials.”
Cruz, 55, has previously declined nominations for the Supreme Court during Trump’s first term. In an interview, Cruz stated he had repeatedly refused such positions because he did not want to step away from active political competition.
Meanwhile, Justice Samuel Alito, aged 76, has indicated he might consider retiring next year but noted that future political circumstances remain difficult to predict.
