President Obama said Monday that Republicans have painted themselves into a corner by blocking Judge Merrick Garland’s nomination to the Supreme Court, now that Donald Trump is their presumptive presidential nominee.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., promised not to even hold hearings on Obama’s choice to replace the-late Justice Antonin Scalia even before Obama tapped Garland.
Given that backdrop, “Republicans are looking at a Republican nominee who many of them say isn’t qualified to be president, much less appoint somebody,” Obama told Buzzfeed during a live interview streamed on Facebook and YouTube Monday. “And it seems to be that they’d be better off going ahead and giving [Garland] a hearing and a vote.”
Given the misgivings some Republican lawmakers have about Trump, “it shows you why you don’t want to politicize a Supreme Court appointment,” Obama said.
“I’ve said this before, I think that our country is better off when the Democratic nominee for the presidency and the Republican nominee are both qualified to be president and can be effective, because you never know what happens,” Obama said.
Obama reiterated his opinion of Trump, which he has used to dismiss the former reality TV star as a legitimate potential successor.
“I want a serious Republican Party and serious nominees,” he said.
