President Trump challenged Democratic nominee Joe Biden to publish a list of potential Supreme Court nominees as he added 20 figures to his own slate of candidates for any future vacancy.
The move Wednesday was designed to bolster support among conservative voters. But he put Biden on the spot, forcing the former vice president to choose whether to release a list that could infuriate either wing of his party.
Trump set out clear ideological water between him and his opponent, raising the specter of radical justices intent on erasing the right to bear arms, declaring the death penalty unconstitutional, and rewriting the pledge of allegiance to remove the words “under God.”
“Our cherished rights are at risk, including the right to life and our great Second Amendment,” he said.
The move not only reflects Trump’s love of teasing appointments in advance, with a dramatic final television show-style “reveal,” but repeats his 2016 campaign strategy, when he published a similar list much to the delight of evangelical and conservative voters who were unsure whether the Republican nominee shared their values.
Trump’s new names include Sens. Ted Cruz of Texas and Tom Cotton of Arkansas as well as Christopher Landau, ambassador to Mexico.
This time around, it came with a clear challenge to his election opponent to give voters a choice on the sort of Supreme Court, and the type of country, they wanted to see. And it comes as his campaign is intent on reshaping the election debate, moving it away from a referendum on Trump’s presidency and increasing the scrutiny of Biden’s policies.
“Joe Biden has refused to release lists, perhaps because he knows the names are so extremely far left that they could never withstand public scrutiny or receive acceptance,” said Trump, speaking somberly in the Diplomatic Reception Room of the White House. “He must release a list of justices for people to properly make a decision as to how they will vote.”
Biden supporters shrugged off the demand.
Democratic National Committee War Room spokeswoman Lily Adams said: “We don’t need a list to know that another four years of Trump would mean more justices who are anti-worker, anti-choice, anti-civil rights and anti-voting rights.”
Four of the nine current justices are aged 70 or older. Trump himself has mused aloud that whoever wins November’s elections “could have anywhere from two to four, to maybe even five” vacancies to fill — shaping crucial questions on everything from abortion to voting rights for generations to come.
Louisana Attorney General Jeff Landry, chairman of the Republican Attorneys General Association, joined a chorus of demands that Biden follow suit.
He said: “Why is he hiding his Supreme Court shortlist from the American people? Could it be that the list includes radical activists who have failed at achieving their liberal agenda through Congress and are now planning to do so through the courts?”
Christina Bennett, co-chairwoman of Pro-Life Voices for Trump, said: “We know that Joe Biden would select activist judges who bow to the wishes of the abortion industry. For this and many other reasons, President Trump is the obvious choice in November.”
However, critics focused on Trump’s new names.
Vanita Gupta, president of the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, said the potential picks represented a narrow vision of America.
“This list does not reflect our values and puts our civil and human rights at risk,” she said. “The Supreme Court is everyone’s court, not Trump’s court.”
