President Trump chided former President Barack Obama for leaving more than 100 seats on the federal courts vacant when he left office and said the number of vacancies on the federal bench was a “gift from heaven.”
“I don’t know why Obama left that. It was like a big beautiful present to all of us. Why the hell did he leave that?” Trump told an audience during an infrastructure event in Richfield, Ohio. “Maybe he got complacent.”
Trump frequently touts his judicial appointments as one of his greatest achievements since assuming the presidency.
According to the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, there are currently 17 vacancies on the federal courts of appeals and 122 vacancies on the federal district courts.
Fourteen judges nominated by Trump have been confirmed to the appeals courts, and Trump also named Justice Neil Gorsuch to the Supreme Court last year. Gorsuch filled the seat previously held by Justice Antonin Scalia, who died in 2016.
“That’s world-changing, country-changing, USA-changing, and we’re going all out,” Trump said of his judicial appointments. “We have unbelievably talented, smart, great people, being put in those slots. But we were left a present. I never said this before, it was like the gift from heaven. We were left judges.”
The president offered his gratitude to Obama for leaving so many seats on the federal judiciary unfilled.
“Thank you very much, President Obama. We all appreciate it. Thank you,” he said. “What happened? How did he do that?”
