A man of superlatives and little subtlety, President Trump laid it on thick during the swearing in of Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch. But his praise of the judge was more than just a victory lap. It was part of an ongoing campaign to charm Justice Anthony Kennedy into retirement.
Speaking from the Rose Garden, Trump was careful to note the unique relationship of the two justices, a connection that could make the president’s next Supreme Court nominee possible.
Trump called the swearing-in ceremony “a very, very special moment.” He might as well have called it a historic opportunity. That’s because Gorsuch began his legal career by clerking for Kennedy and, as Trump noted, “it’s a fitting testament to Justice Kennedy’s impact that upon giving the oath to Judge Gorsuch, he’ll become the first ever Supreme Court justice to serve with one of his former clerks.”
“That’s sort of a big deal, isn’t it?” Trump said, going off script. “I sort of like that,” he continued, signaling that perhaps he had another grand gesture in mind.
More than idle praise, Trump’s prepared to nominate another justice in Kennedy’s image. The president would love to send up another Neil Gorsuch to the Supreme Court to fill the 80-year-old’s seat. It’d be a fitting flourish to Kennedy’s career.
At first glance one might think that the reserved justice would be immune to the flattery of the brash billionaire president. They would be wrong.
Trump has a backchannel to Kennedy: their kids. As Politico reports, Donald Trump Jr. and Justin Kennedy are known to run in the same real-estate circles. What’s more, the Trump administration brought Gregory Kennedy on as a senior financial adviser during the transition.
The boom mics after Trump’s first speech to Congress caught the tail end of this budding repertoire. “Say hello to your boy. Special guy,” the president said. “Your kids have been very nice to him,” the Supreme Court justice replied. “Well, they love him and they love him in New York,” Trump concluded.
On top of those personal touches, the Trump administration has made a number of personnel choices designed to put Kennedy’s mind at ease. The two frontrunners for the justice’s seat, as The New York Times reports, are both former Kennedy clerks.
In light of those facts, the president wasn’t just waxing poetic Monday afternoon. Reading between the lines, Trump seemed to be telling Kennedy that he sent one of his clerks to the court and he’d love to send another.
Philip Wegmann is a commentary writer for the Washington Examiner.
