Administration

Trump ‘no longer angry’ at Romney because of Supreme Court stance

President Trump said Thursday that he’s “no longer angry” at Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah) over his impeachment vote because he is supporting a Senate vote on Trump’s forthcoming Supreme Court nominee. 

“Do you see what’s going on with the Republican Party, how unified the Republican Party is? We’re unified. It’s a beautiful thing to see. Thank you, Mitt,” Trump said during a campaign rally in Jacksonville, Fla., on Thursday evening.

“Even Mitt’s on board. It’s a good thing to see,” he added.  

At the rally, Trump bemoaned that all 197 Republicans voted against his impeachment — which he has repeatedly called a “hoax” — in the House, but Romney was the sole GOP senator to vote to convict him in the Senate.

The Utah senator voted to convict Trump on the charge he abused his power in his dealings with Ukraine, but voted to acquit Trump on the charge that he obstructed Congress. 

“We had 197 to nothing in the House and 52 and a half to a half — that was Mitt,” Trump told the crowd of supporters. “But that’s OK, I’m no longer angry at Mitt because he’s being very nice on the Supreme Court. He’s doing the right thing. I just want him to do the right thing.” 

Romney, the former 2012 GOP presidential nominee, has been vocally critical of Trump at times throughout his presidency. However, the senator recently signaled he would support holding a vote on Trump’s nominee to fill the vacancy on the Supreme Court left by Ruth Bader Ginsburg, who died last Friday.

Romney’s decision solidified support for Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell’s (R-Ky.) plans to hold a vote on the president’s nominee. 

“The Constitution gives the President the power to nominate and the Senate the authority to provide advice and consent on Supreme Court nominees. Accordingly, I intend to follow the Constitution and precedent in considering the President’s nominee. If the nominee reaches the Senate floor, I intend to vote based upon their qualifications,” Romney said in a statement on Tuesday. 

Democrats have demanded that the candidate who wins the November election be the one to nominate the next Supreme Court justice. 

Trump, who plans to announce his nominee Saturday, has made clear he wants a vote to occur before the election, which is less than two months away.