President Donald Trump said he will name his pick to replace the late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg on Friday or Saturday.
During an interview by phone on “Fox and Friends” on Monday morning, the president said his list of potential nominees for the Supreme Court was down to five names.
“I will announce it either Friday or Saturday and then the work begins,” Trump said.
Trump over the weekend said he planned to name a nominee some time this week. He has said he will nominate a woman.
Kayleigh McEnany, the White House press secretary, said on CBS earlier in the day that it was likely Trump could name a nominee by Wednesday.
But Trump said that he wanted to allow for time for Ginsburg’s funeral services to take place first.
“We want to pay respect,” Trump said.
Trump and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., are in a hurry to place Ginsburg’s successor before Election Day, which is just 43 days away.
Democrats, including presidential nominee Joe Biden, have said that any new nominee must be named after the election.
Ginsburg passed on Friday at 87-years-old after suffering from pancreatic cancer. She was the senior member of the court’s liberal wing.
Whether Republicans will be able to muster the votes necessary to confirm a nominee ahead of Nov. 3 remains to be seen. Already over the weekend, cracks in the party’s unity began to show.❐
