WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump floated nominating Ted Cruz to the Supreme Court for a future vacancy on the nation's high court, joking that the Texas Republican senator's confirmation would earn unanimous Senate support because senators from both parties would like to see him gone.
Trump, who has mentioned Cruz previously for the Supreme Court, suggested the third-term senator again at an Oct. 27 midterm campaign rally in Lubbock, Texas as the president discussed what he might do if he gets to nominate a Supreme Court justice for a fourth time over his two White House terms.
"I said, 'I have an answer to not being able to get it past the Democrats or the Republicans together,'" Trump said, referring to the confirmation fight in the Senate.
"I would pick Ted Cruz to be the next Supreme Court justice, and I wouldn't have to worry about it. I wouldn't have to make a phone call.
"The Democrats will 100% vote for it because they hate the guy and the want to get rid of him," Trump continued. "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."
Cruz, who was in attendance at the rally for Texas Republican Senate nominee Ken Paxton, laughed and smiled from his front-row seat as Trump made the pitch.
A conservative firebrand in the Senate, Cruz has repeatedly said he's not interested in serving on the Supreme Court. “I don't want to be a judge,” Cruz told the Houston Chronicle in September.
Trump has openly expressed regret for nominating each of his three Supreme Court picks from his first term ‒ Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh and Amy Coney Barrett ‒ after they sided against his administration in a series of high-profile rulings.
Trump called Cruz "a brilliant guy, brilliant lawyer, brilliant all that." As solicitor general of Texas from 2008 to 2013, Cruz argued multiple cases before the Supreme Court. After graduating from Harvard Law School, Cruz clerked for then-Chief Justice William Rehnquist.
Cruz, 55, has turned into one of Trump's strongest allies on the Senate after running against Trump for the Republican nomination for president in 2016.
Cruz has also made no secret about his interest in running for president in 2028. Other Trump allies Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio are also considered likely contenders to seek the Republican nomination. Were Trump to appoint Cruz to the Supreme Court, however, the field would start to narrow.
It is unclear whether Trump will have an opportunity to nominate a fourth justice to the Supreme Court. Justice Samuel Alito in August said he plans to remain on the bench through at least the next session, batting down speculation the conservative justice could step down to allow Trump to choose his replacement.
Reach Joey Garrison on X @joeygarrison.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Trump floats nominating Ted Cruz to Supreme Court for future vacancy
