Trump Talks Potential Alito Retirement in Oval Office Interview
President Trump had a lengthy discussion with Breitbart News in the Oval Office, expressing readiness for the possibility of Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito retiring. He emphasized that “nobody” could truly take Alito’s place, considering him “one of the greatest people of all time.”
During the interview, Trump addressed a false report from NPR’s Nina Totenberg, which claimed Alito announced his retirement. Totenberg later retracted her story and issued an apology to both the public and Justice Alito before Trump spoke with Breitbart.
Even though the claim about Alito stepping down wasn’t accurate, it’s still possible he could retire this summer, especially with the U.S. midterm elections approaching. Alito, 76, is among three justices potentially exiting the bench; Clarence Thomas, another conservative, recently turned 78, while Sonia Sotomayor, a liberal justice, has faced serious health issues.
“As you know, there could be three vacancies for various reasons, so I’m certainly prepared,” Trump noted. “We have a lot of great people who want to fill that position.”
Trump questioned if Totenberg’s article was “completely fake news,” to which Breitbart confirmed it was, highlighting her retraction.
The president admitted he was curious about whether Alito’s retirement would benefit the nation. “I actually heard about that, and I’m his single biggest fan, so you have to understand that you’re asking the wrong person,” Trump remarked. “He’s great. One of the nicest guys I’ve ever met. He’s very grounded and well-respected.”
Trump pointed out the significance of having “a young conservative judge on the bench for 40 years,” while also asserting that Alito would be remembered as one of the best justices in history. “So it was kind of an honor to choose someone like that,” Trump added. “I would choose a younger version of him, but there is no younger version of him. I don’t think anybody could do what he does so well. So in some ways I was happy, but in other ways I was actually sad.”
The president also praised Clarence Thomas, referring to him as a “superstar,” while noting that there hasn’t been any talk of his retirement. He described discussions about replacing either justice as a “mixed blessing,” given their exceptional contributions.
Details from Trump’s latest exclusive interview with Breitbart will be shared soon.
