Donald Trump said he wants to appoint more conservative Supreme Court Justices during a speech on Friday, commenting: "Let's have seven or eight or maybe even nine."
The former president's remarks follow a string of Supreme Court rulings this week which have outraged many progressives, including judgments blocking President Biden's student debt relief plan and ending affirmative action in college education. During Trump's presidency, he was able to appoint three Supreme Court justices, dramatically altering the court's ideological composition.
Trump is currently running for the 2024 Republican Party nomination with polling giving him a commanding lead over Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, who is in second place. If reelected to the White House, he may have the chance to appoint additional justices, if incumbents retire or die, with the Supreme Court currently housing six justices appointed by Republican presidents, and three by their Democratic counterparts.
On Friday Trump discussed the recent Supreme Court rulings in Philadelphia, at a summit hosted by the right-wing Moms for Liberty campaign group.
He commented: "You know many president's never get the opportunity to appoint a Supreme Court justice. I had three, they are gold. They are not happy about that.
Trump: Many presidents never get the opportunity to appoint a Supreme Court justice. I had three. And maybe we’ll three or four more. Let’s have seven or eight or maybe even nine. pic.twitter.com/8yNRyzKFR4
— Acyn (@Acyn) June 30, 2023
"And maybe we'll get three or four more. Can you imagine? Let's have seven. Let's have seven or eight or maybe even nine."
A clip from Trump's address, originally broadcast on the conservative channel Right Side Broadcasting Network, was shared on Twitter by the 'Acyn' account, which shares clips of significant political moments. The video was viewed more than 820,000 times and received more than 450 retweets and quote tweets.
During his presidency, Trump was able to appoint three Supreme Court Justices: Neil Gorsuch in 2017, Brett Kavanaugh in 2018, and Amy Coney Barrett in 2020.
On Friday, the Supreme Court struck down Biden's student debt relief scheme in a conservative majority verdict. The program would have cut the debt of most graduates who took out a federal student loan, by up to $10,000, with $20,000 in relief being available to Pell Grant recipients from low-income households.
In response, Biden accused the Supreme Court of having "misinterpreted the Constitution," though he is refusing to back proposals from Democrats further on the left to try and pack the court with liberal justices.
This week, the Supreme Court also voted to end college affirmative action programs and ruled a website designer can refuse services to gay and lesbian couples.
In June 2022, the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, which had guaranteed abortion access as a constitutional right for nearly half a century, sparking fury from liberal campaigners. The ruling was made by six votes to three, with all the Trump-appointed justices backing the decision.
