President Donald Trump stated during a rally in Lubbock, Texas, on Tuesday that he would nominate Senator Ted Cruz to the United States Supreme Court if a vacancy arose during his presidency. Praising the Texas Republican’s legal background, Trump argued that securing confirmation would require minimal effort from the administration.
“I would pick Ted Cruz to be the next Supreme Court justice, and I wouldn’t have to worry about it. I wouldn’t even have to make a phone call,” Trump told the crowd. He contended that bipartisan support would be absolute, joking that members of both political parties would back the confirmation to remove Cruz from the legislative branch.
“The Democrats will 100% vote for it because they hate the guy and they want to get rid of him,” Trump said as Cruz watched and laughed from the front row. “And the Republicans would 100% vote for it because they can’t stand him, 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.”
The rally event in Texas was held to support Attorney General Ken Paxton, who is campaigning against Democrat James Talarico for the U.S. Senate seat currently held by Senator John Cornyn, scheduled to vacate the position in January.
Cruz possesses extensive legal credentials, having clerked for the late Chief Justice William Rehnquist—an experience during which he formed a friendship with Justice Clarence Thomas—and having authored numerous Supreme Court briefs. He also previously argued cases before the high court while serving as the Solicitor General of Texas. Despite this background, Cruz stated as recently as September that he holds no personal interest in serving as a judge.
Whether an opening on the high court will materialize during Trump’s tenure remains uncertain, as none of the current nine justices have announced retirement plans. Speculation regarding Supreme Court departures previously surfaced in June when an erroneous report claimed Justice Samuel Alito was retiring, an error that was quickly retracted after the reporting organization acknowledged mishearing details surrounding a retirement announcement.
During his first term in the White House, Trump successfully appointed three Supreme Court justices—Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh, and Amy Coney Barrett—a trio of appointments that established a solid conservative majority on the nation’s highest court.
