Trump leans in on a major 2026 issue: possibly replacing Justices Alito and Thomas

[Dulcinea]

(CNN) President Donald Trump seems to be leaning in on the idea that elderly conservative Justices Samuel Alito and Clarence Thomas might think about a conveniently timed retirement this year.

Trump couched his comments to Fox Business’ Maria Bartiromo in respect for the jurisprudence and decision-making processes of both justices. But he also repeatedly gestured at the political utility of them retiring soon:

“I think he is one of the great justices of all time,” Trump said of Alito, before adding: “It’d be nice to say, now I have somebody for 40 years.”

https://www.cnn.com/2026/04/16/politics/supreme-court-trump-alito-thomas

[Bluestocking]

1. Do they need 60 votes in the Senate to confirm?

[JBTaurus83]

2. No

[no_hypocrisy]

5. 51. If either Justice died after January 2026,

Trump would be extremely frustrated. We could have 8 justices until 2029.

[marble falls]

3. Epstein.

[displacedvermoter]

4. Democratic Senate Candidates

must make Supreme Court reform, including raising number of justices to match number of federal districts, a primary talking point. If there is going to be that Blue Tsunami I keep hearing about, then it needs to really mean something.

Keeping the status quo on the Supreme Court means another quarter century and more of right wing oppression judicially enforced.

[Fiendish Thingy]

6. It won't matter if he replaces them with Cannon and Barron

As long as voters elect Dems willing to expand the court, and kill the filibuster to do so.

Without expanding the court and neutralizing the MAGA majority, there can be no repairing of the damage of the Trump era, no restoration of lost rights.

[pwb]

7. A worse person than those two

will be hard to find. IMO.

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

10. That was my reaction after seeing the headline

[eggplant]

11. They found Kavanaugh.

There are worse people further down in the barrel. Like Hegseth, Cannon, ...

[Oliver Bolliver Butt]

15. he doesn't need worse, just younger

[TheWaywardTarheel]

8. If ever there was a reason to change how SCOTUS is organized...

....it would be the prospect of one or two more youngish, Trump-aligned jurists serving on the High Court for 3+ decades.

That alone should motivate people to demand accountability from the Court in some way, shape or more. Am I wrong to think that?

[homegirl]

9. Ideal outcome...

House and Senate go Democratic majority. Alito and Thomas retire, Democratic House and Senate refuse to consider replacements until 2029!

[Sogo]

12. I'd really like to share that article, but it's behind a paywall.

[BidenRocks]

13. We need a super majority!

Then we can expand the courts to side step chumps stacking and restore honor and equality!

[jgmiller]

14. He just wants to say he appointed to new justices

If they do retire whoever he puts there will be just as bad as the two of them. He does not care that the replacements will serve for 30 years he just wants to be able to say he got to more, it's him keeping score.

[MorbidButterflyTat]

16. "Piggy couched his comments

to Fox Business’ Maria Bartiromo in respect for the jurisprudence and decision-making processes of both justices. "

That is some heavy duty sane washing right there!

[calimary]

17. I SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO look forward to having somebody else sounding off

OTHER THAN trump.

Unfortunately, if he lives long enough to complain that America (hopefully) voted for a Democrat in 2028, he’ll STILL find every possible microphone. Like a bloodhound sniffing for bloodstains.

[ShazzieB]

19. He may continue to sound off for a while, but I don't think he'll be able to do it for long.

His cognitive decline is proceeding apace, and pretty soon, he'll be nonverbal, assuming he lives long enough to even finish this term.

At least that's what I keep telling myself, because I desperately want to live long enough to experience a Schlump free world again, if only for a short time.

[ShazzieB]

18. No, jackhole, YOU won't "have somebody for 40 years."

YOU won't have anything, because you will soon be in a nursing home (or possibly being cared for by private nurses at home, although I'm skeptical about your spawn being willing to part with enough of their future inheritance to pay for that), and in a hole in the ground not long after. WE are the ones who will be stuck with any sociopath(s) you might decide to replace Alito and/or Thomas with.

What a scary prospect! On the one hand, it's hard to imagine anyone worse than T and A, but if there is such a person, Schlump will find them, and they'll occupy those seats for a very long time into the future.