Trump Jokes Ted Cruz Would Get Unanimous Supreme Court Vote
President Trump suggests Senator Ted Cruz would receive bipartisan support for Supreme Court nomination because both parties would want him out of Congress
# Trump Jokes Ted Cruz Would Get Unanimous Supreme Court Vote
President Donald Trump revived speculation about putting Senator Ted Cruz on the Supreme Court with a characteristically tongue-in-cheek pitch that highlighted the Texas Republican's polarizing presence in Washington. Speaking at a campaign rally in Texas Tuesday evening, Trump suggested Cruz would be the only nominee in history to receive unanimous bipartisan support—because both parties would eagerly vote to remove him from the Senate.
"I could nominate Ted Cruz to the Supreme Court and get 100% of the Democrat vote, 100% of the Republican vote," Trump told the cheering crowd. "They'd all want to get him out of there!" The joke drew roaring laughter from supporters and immediately went viral on social media, with political observers noting the uncomfortable truth behind the president's quip about Cruz's reputation among his Senate colleagues.
The comment comes as Trump campaigns for Republican candidates ahead of the November 3 midterm elections, with Cruz himself facing a competitive re-election battle in Texas. While Trump praised Cruz as having a "brilliant legal mind" qualified for the nation's highest court, the suggestion was clearly meant more as comedic relief than serious policy proposal. Cruz, a former Supreme Court clerk and accomplished appellate lawyer, has long been mentioned as a potential Supreme Court nominee by conservative legal scholars.
The relationship between Trump and Cruz has evolved dramatically since their bitter 2016 primary fight, when Trump dubbed Cruz "Lyin' Ted" and Cruz refused to endorse Trump at the Republican National Convention. Cruz has since become one of Trump's staunchest defenders in the Senate, particularly on judicial nominations and conservative policy priorities. The senator has consistently voted to confirm Trump's judicial picks and has been a vocal advocate for originalist interpretation of the Constitution.
Cruz's unpopularity among Senate colleagues has become something of a Washington punchline over the years. In 2016, Senator Lindsey Graham famously joked that "if you killed Ted Cruz on the floor of the Senate, and the trial was in the Senate, nobody would convict you." The sentiment reflects Cruz's combative style and his willingness to challenge party leadership, traits that have made him both a conservative hero and an institutional irritant.
Despite the humorous framing, Trump's comment underscores the genuine ideological tensions within Washington over the direction of the federal judiciary. With several aging justices on the Supreme Court, the possibility of additional vacancies during Trump's presidency remains a significant political consideration. Conservative legal activists have pushed for nominees with proven track records of constitutional conservatism, and Cruz's credentials in that regard are impeccable.
The joke also reflects Trump's continued dominance of the Republican Party's messaging and his ability to command attention even with off-the-cuff remarks. As the midterms approach, Trump remains the party's most powerful voice and its most effective fundraiser, capable of filling arenas and generating media coverage with a single social media post or rally appearance.
For his part, Cruz has not publicly commented on Trump's latest Supreme Court musings, likely preferring to focus on his own re-election campaign rather than engage with speculation about his Senate future. The senator faces a well-funded Democratic challenger and cannot afford distractions as he seeks to maintain his seat in an increasingly competitive Texas political landscape.