Trump Wants “No Delay” in Picking a New Justice

“We have this obligation,” he tweeted Saturday morning.

President Donald Trump dances as he walks off stage after speaking during a campaign rally at Bemidji Regional Airport, Friday, Sept. 18, 2020, in Bemidji, Minn.AP Photo/Evan Vucci

Fight disinformation: Sign up for the free Mother Jones Daily newsletter and follow the news that matters.

Donald Trump made it clear that he would not waste any time replacing Ruth Bader Ginsburg, announcing his strategy, per usual, by tweet Saturday morning:

Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell has already stated he won’t stick to his own rule and refuse to let a Supreme Court justice be chosen in the run-up to an election, but Trump’s confirmation officially sets the stage for a highly combative next several weeks in Washington.

Trump, who was giving a rambling speech when the news broke of Ginsburg’s death on Friday night, initially appeared a bit stunned and offered condolences to her family when he was informed, but in the runup to the 2016 election, he used Twitter to air his feelings about Ginsburg, after she shared her feelings about him.

By Saturday morning, he was already appearing to gloat over his chance to replace Ginsburg. Even before his tweet announcing he wanted to move quickly, he sent a sarcastic note mocking former Democratic majority leader Harry Reid, who removed the 60-vote requirement for judicial appointments which will make it easier for Republicans to confirm a replacement for Ginsburg.

 

OUR DEADLINE MATH PROBLEM

It’s risky, but also unavoidable: A full one-third of the dollars that we need to pay for the journalism you rely on has to get raised in December. A good December means our newsroom is fully staffed, well-resourced, and on the beat. A bad one portends budget trouble and hard choices.

The December 31 deadline is drawing nearer, and if we’re going to have any chance of making our goal, we need those of you who’ve never pitched in before to join the ranks of MoJo donors.

We simply can’t afford to come up short. There is no cushion in our razor-thin budget—no backup, no alternative sources of revenue to balance our books. Corporations and powerful people with deep pockets will never sustain the fierce journalism we do. That’s why we need you to show up for us right now.

payment methods

OUR DEADLINE MATH PROBLEM

It’s risky, but also unavoidable: A full one-third of the dollars that we need to pay for the journalism you rely on has to get raised in December. A good December means our newsroom is fully staffed, well-resourced, and on the beat. A bad one portends budget trouble and hard choices.

The December 31 deadline is drawing nearer, and if we’re going to have any chance of making our goal, we need those of you who’ve never pitched in before to join the ranks of MoJo donors.

We simply can’t afford to come up short. There is no cushion in our razor-thin budget—no backup, no alternative sources of revenue to balance our books. Corporations and powerful people with deep pockets will never sustain the fierce journalism we do. That’s why we need you to show up for us right now.

payment methods

We Recommend

Latest

Sign up for our free newsletter

Subscribe to the Mother Jones Daily to have our top stories delivered directly to your inbox.

Get our award-winning magazine

Save big on a full year of investigations, ideas, and insights.

Subscribe

Support our journalism

Help Mother Jones' reporters dig deep with a tax-deductible donation.

Donate