Trump recalls how Ginsburg’s death affected the Supreme Court as he discusses whether Alito should retire
Justice Samuel Alito sits during a group photo of the justices at the Supreme Court in Washington
By Aileen Graef, CNN
(CNN) — President Donald Trump complimented Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito but when asked about him stepping down while Republicans are in control, he pointed to how Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s death shifted the court.
“People are very angry at her, because I got to appoint people instead of Biden,” Trump told Fox News’ Maria Bartiromo in an interview that aired on Wednesday.
Alito, 76, is one of the oldest justices on the Court along with Justice Clarence Thomas, 77 – another reliably conservative justice. There’s been speculation over whether Alito will retire in time for Trump to appoint and for a Republican Senate to confirm a new justice in order to guarantee the seat is not filled by a potential Democratic president in 2029.
Trump has said he didn’t know if there would be a vacancy by the end of the year but added Alito was in “very good physical health.”
“Alito is an unbelievable justice and a brilliant judge as justice, and he gets the country, you know, he does what’s right for the country,” Trump said.
The president did, however, mention former Justice Ginsburg, who stayed on the bench while in poor health before her death in September 2020. Ginsburg died four months before a Democratic president could have replaced her.
“You know, they reach a certain age. Ginsburg could not do it, and she really hurt herself within the Democrat Party. People are very angry at her, because I got to appoint people instead of (Joe) Biden,” he said.
Trump also appeared to take a swipe at the Supreme Court’s conservative majority, who have broken with each other to strike down some of the administration’s policies, including a key tariff vote.
“And the liberals do stick together. There’s one thing about those justices, they stick together like glue, not like the Republicans,” he said.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
The-CNN-Wire
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