Fox News host Steve Hilton called for the vote on President Donald Trump’s next Supreme Court pick to be held after the 2020 elections as Republicans looked set to move ahead with replacing the late Ruth Bader Ginsburg before November 3.
Delivering his opening monologue on The Next Revolution on Sunday, Hilton also called for Joe Biden to be pressured into revealing who he would nominate to the Supreme Court were he to take control of the White House in January next year.
The Quote
“The far left are taking over the Democratic Party, and there is a very real, very frightening prospect that they will take over the country and do permanent harm,” Hilton said.
“When it comes to the court, the best chance of preventing that is for the president to nominate someone, for confirmation hearings to start as soon as possible, but for the vote to happen after the election.
“And after we push Joe Biden to tell us who he would nominate to fill the vacancy. But please, let’s debate this in a respectful and above all peaceful manner.”
Why it Matters
Republican leaders have been quick to push for a vote on Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s replacement after the 87-year-old died of metastatic pancreatic cancer on Friday night.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY.) quickly vowed to hold a vote on any Supreme Court candidate nominated by Trump, but did not elaborate on when the vote might take place.
Democrats have pushed back on the plan, with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) not ruling out launching fresh impeachment proceedings against Trump in an effort to delay any GOP move to replace Ginsburg before November 3.
Former Vice President Biden also called for Trump’s third Supreme Court nominee to be withdrawn should he fail to win a second term in the Oval Office.
“If I win this election, President Trump’s nominee should be withdrawn and, as the new president, I should be the one to nominate Justice Ginsburg’s successor,” the Democratic nominee said. “If President Trump wants to put forward a name now, the Senate should not act until after the American people select their next president, their next Congress, their next Senate.”
Counterpoint
President Trump’s re-election campaign does not seem to be heeding the calls for Ginsburg’s seat on the Supreme Court to be filled after the results of the presidential election are revealed in less than two months’ time.
Reacting to chants at a rally in North Carolina on Saturday, the Trump team unveiled a new campaign t-shirt with “FILL THAT SEAT” printed across the front. At the time of writing, it has not yet printed the slogan on hats and mugs.
The president also said the GOP had to move on filling the third Supreme Court vacancy of his first term “without delay” on Saturday afternoon.
“We were put in this position of power and importance to make decisions for the people who so proudly elected us, the most important of which has long been considered to be the selection of United States Supreme Court Justices,” Trump tweeted. “We have this obligation, without delay!”