President Trump floated the possibility of nominating Senator Ted Cruz to the Supreme Court, describing the Texas Republican and former presidential rival as a “brilliant” lawyer.
During a campaign rally in Lubbock, Texas, on Tuesday night, Trump jokingly compared Cruz with the three conservative justices he appointed during his first term: Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh and Amy Coney Barrett.
“I picked three Supreme Court justices, and it’s very hard to get them approved,” Trump told the crowd.
He then praised Cruz as a “brilliant guy” and a “brilliant lawyer,” highlighting his education and professional background as a “top student” with “top credentials.”
Trump joked that Cruz could face an easier confirmation process than his previous nominees.
Democrats, he said, would support Cruz “100 percent” because “they hate the guy and want to get rid of him.”
Trump famously branded Cruz “Lyin’ Ted” during the 2016 Republican primary, repeatedly attacking his rival before Cruz ended his presidential campaign.
Senator Ted Cruz, a Texas Republican, is seen boarding Air Force One alongside President Donald Trump. Trump has campaigned for down-ballot candidates, including Ken Paxton, during a multi-state push ahead of the midterm elections
Trump and Cruz are pictured at the White House before leaving for a campaign event in San Antonio
Trump dances during a campaign rally at Freeman Coliseum in San Antonio, Texas
At the Texas event, Trump set aside his old insults and repeatedly referred to Cruz as “brilliant.”
Discussing the possibility of Cruz joining the Supreme Court, Trump said Republicans would also vote for him unanimously because “they can’t stand him” and would welcome the chance to see him leave the Senate.
“So I’d get 100 percent of the vote, and he’d be a Supreme Court justice, and he would do a great job,” Trump said.
Trump’s remarks followed comments from Justice Samuel Alito, who said in a rare public interview this month that he had considered retiring this year and may revisit the decision in 2027.
“It’s something that I think somebody at my age has to think about every term,” Alito told CBS News.
“But I thought that I could still make a valuable contribution, which is why I became a justice and a judge in the first place,” he added.
Trump has praised Alito, who has sided with the president more often than any other justice, calling him one of the “Greatest of All Time.”
Even so, Trump has made clear that he would like the opportunity to appoint a fourth Supreme Court justice if a vacancy emerges.
The president has also sharply criticized his own appointees when they have ruled against him on major second-term priorities. Those cases have included the invalidation of his sweeping tariff program, the blocking of his attempt to end birthright citizenship and the rejection of efforts to limit mail-in voting.
After each ruling, Trump turned to Truth Social to rebuke the conservative justices. In September, he accused them of becoming “merely a shell of their original selves” and said their decisions were not “true” to him.
Trump has repeatedly used Truth Social to criticize the conservative justices he appointed, arguing that they no longer resemble the candidates he selected for the Supreme Court.
“These are not the people I interviewed to serve on the United States Supreme Court,” Trump said last month.
He has also used similar language in previous attacks on his judicial nominees, questioning whether they reflect the principles he expected when he chose them.
Trump has repeatedly mentioned Cruz as a possible choice for the Supreme Court if a vacancy becomes available.
Cruz, however, has said he does not want a seat on the bench. Speaking at a Wall Street Journal event earlier this year, he said Trump had seriously discussed him as a possible nominee for all three Supreme Court vacancies that arose during the first administration.
The Texas senator said he declined each time because he wanted to remain involved in the political fight.
“I said no — because I don’t want to be out of the arena of the political battle,” Cruz recalled.
