Former MSNBC host Chris Matthews on Monday praised President Trump’s “true presidential behavior” regarding the late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, prompting backlash primarily from the left on social media, including from former colleague Keith Olbermann.
“Trump is right to show respect for RBG. True presidential behavior. Far too rare,” Matthews tweeted to his more than 950,000 followers.
The post from the former speechwriter to President Jimmy Carter came after Trump said on “Fox & Friends” that he plans to announce his nominee to replace Ginsburg, who died Friday due to complications from pancreatic cancer, on Friday or Saturday.
The president added that he wanted to “pay respect” to Ginsburg by waiting until after her funeral services to announce his nominee.
Matthews’s tweet quickly created backlash on Twitter.
Trump also said on “Fox & Friends” on Monday morning that he had narrowed his list down to five potential nominees. Trump has already committed to choosing a woman to replace Ginsburg on the Supreme Court
He added that he didn’t believe Ginsburg said it was her “dying wish” not to be replaced until a new president is installed.
“I don’t know that she said that, or was that written out by Adam Schiff, Schumer and Pelosi?” Trump asked, referring to House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) and Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.). “I would be more inclined to the second. That came out of the wind, it sounds so beautiful … but that sounds like a Schumer deal or maybe Pelosi or shifty Schiff … maybe she did and maybe she didn’t.”
“My most fervent wish is that I will not be replaced until a new president is installed,” Ginsburg dictated to her granddaughter, according to NPR.
Trump told reporters upon hearing news of Ginsburg’s death for the first time Friday night that “she led an amazing life” and was “an amazing woman.”
“She just died? Wow. I didn’t know that. You’re telling me now for the first time. She led an amazing life. What else can you say?” Trump told reporters after stepping off stage from a rally in Minnesota. “She was an amazing woman. Whether you agreed or not, she was an amazing woman who led an amazing life … I’m saddened to hear that.”
His push to nominate a replacement on the court has sparked a battle with Democrats just weeks before Election Day.