Trump to Alito, Thomas: Don't Retire From SCOTUS

As part of his wide-ranging interview with Politico, President Trump weighed in on the possibility of new Supreme Court vacancies—and he'd like to see the two oldest conservatives remain on the bench. Clarence Thomas is 77 and Samuel Alito is 75, but Trump isn't on board with the idea that one or both should step down to ensure a conservative replacement under his watch.

"I hope they stay, 'cause I think they're fantastic, OK?" Trump told Politico's Dasha Burns. "Both of those men are fantastic." As the Hill notes, some on the right want to avoid the fate of Democrats when Ruth Bader Ginsburg rebuffed calls to retire under Barack Obama and served until her death in 2020—enabling Trump to replace her with Amy Coney Barrett. "I will say this, the Democrats want to pack the court," Trump said. "They want to have 21 justices. That would be a … a terrible thing for this country."