The Senate uniparty would rubber-stamp Ted Cruz for the Supreme Court for one reason alone — to purge a populist fighter from their chamber — and President Trump just said the quiet part out loud.
At a Texas rally, Trump told supporters that if he ever needed to slip a nominee past a hostile Senate, he'd just pick Cruz. The logic isn't that Cruz would make a great justice. It's that both parties want him gone. "I wouldn't even have to make a phone call," Trump said. "The Democrats will 100% vote for it because they hate the guy and they want to get rid of him. And the Republicans would 100% vote for it because they can't stand him."
There it is. The entire institutional logic of the Senate, distilled: Cruz is a problem for the club, and the club wants him out. The Court itself? Secondary. The merits of the nominee? Irrelevant. What matters is clearing a troublemaker from a body that prefers comity over confrontation and backroom deals over principle.
Cruz has occasionally been floated as a potential Supreme Court nominee if either Justice Samuel Alito or Justice Clarence Thomas steps down. Alito has said he plans to serve through the current term ending next summer, and Thomas has not responded to retirement questions, according to the New York Daily News.
The confirmation math could shift after next week's midterms. The Daily News described a "blue wave of Democratic enthusiasm fueled by the president's deep unpopularity." SFGATE notes Trump's overall approval ratings are "low enough to potentially sink his party," with voters concerned about the war with Iran, high energy prices, and the cost of living.
Trump's riff was delivered in his trademark needling style — part insult comic, part strategic musing. He also joked about Texas Republican Ken Paxton's physical appearance. But the Cruz comment carries a truth the press refuses to examine. When Republicans and Democrats agree on something in Washington, the public usually gets sold out. Here, they agree they'd rather have Cruz writing dissents in a marble palace than grilling witnesses and holding feet to fire on the Senate floor.
The Daily News framed Trump's comments as part of an "odd streak of putting down some GOP allies." SFGATE buried the Cruz remark entirely, focusing instead on Trump's rally style and midterm headwinds. Neither outlet paused to consider what it means when both parties openly admit they'd confirm a justice simply to neutralize a senator who fights.
If Cruz ever got the call, would he take the lifetime appointment — or stay in the arena where the uniparty least wants him?
