President Donald Trump suggested Friday that Texas Sen. Ted Cruz (R) could be a future Supreme Court nominee, joking that the Texas lawmaker would receive unanimous bipartisan support because members of Congress would want to “get him out” of the Senate.
President Trump made the remarks while speaking at the Port of Corpus Christi in Texas, where he was joined by Cruz and other officials for an event focused on energy policy.
“We have a senator who’s really an amazing guy,” President Trump said. “I’m thinking about putting him in the Supreme Court.”
“Getting these nominations through is very tough, and he’s the only guy I know who’ll get 100% of the Democrat vote, 100% of the Republican vote. They want to get him out of there,” the president added.
President Trump continued, “He is such a pain in the a–, but he’s so good and so talented. If we ever had a problem, I just pick Ted. That would solve that problem. He’s a great guy, and he’s a very talented guy too — smart.”
Cruz earned his law degree from Harvard Law School and previously served as solicitor general of Texas.
Before entering the Senate, Cruz argued nine cases before the U.S. Supreme Court, including eight during his time as Texas solicitor general.
According to The Texas Tribune, at the time of his 2012 Senate run, Cruz had argued more Supreme Court cases than any practicing lawyer in Texas or any sitting member of Congress.
Cruz was sworn into the Senate in 2013 and has focused on issues such as limited government, economic growth, and national security.
He previously sought the Republican presidential nomination during the 2016 election cycle but suspended his campaign after losing the Indiana primary to President Trump.
During the Corpus Christi event, President Trump also addressed ongoing discussions with Iran and the possibility of military action.
“We’ve got a lot of things going on now. We have a big decision to make. Not easy,” President Trump said.
He said he had discussed the matter with Cruz and other lawmakers during travel earlier in the day.
“I spoke with Ted Cruz, John, all of them on the way here,” the president said.
President Trump referenced prior U.S. military action, stating, “We hit them real hard, as you know, with those beautiful B-2 bombers — recently knocked out their nuclear capability.”
He added that he would prefer a diplomatic solution, Fox News reported.
“I’d rather do it the peaceful way, but they’re very difficult people,” President Trump said. “They’re very dangerous people, very difficult people.”
Earlier Friday, President Trump told reporters he had not yet made a final decision on whether to launch military strikes on Iran.
The Supreme Court currently has no announced vacancies, and President Trump did not indicate that a formal nomination of Cruz was imminent.
