President Donald Trump said he is prepared to appoint up to three Supreme Court justices if vacancies arise, telling Maria Bartiromo that he already has a shortlist in mind as speculation swirls around Samuel Alito and Clarence Thomas.
Asked how many openings he was planning for, Trump said, “In theory, it’s two — you just read the statistics — it could be two, could be three, could be one,” before adding, “I don’t know. I’m prepared to do it.” He did not name anyone on the list.
The comments come as attention has sharpened around Alito, 76, after he was treated last month for dehydration after becoming ill at a Federalist Society dinner. A Supreme Court spokesperson said he was thoroughly checked and returned to the bench the following Monday. Trump praised him directly, saying, “But when you mention Alito, he is a great,” and then, “Justice Alito is an unbelievable justice, and a brilliant justice, and he gets the cou.”
That interest is tied to the politics of timing. Alito has spent two decades on the bench, and talk about retirement has grown around the possibility that a conservative successor could be confirmed while Republicans still control the Senate and before the 2026 midterms, when their majority is seen as more vulnerable. Thomas, 77, is being discussed in the same conversation, but he has drawn less retirement speculation even though he has served for more than three decades.
Trump’s remarks point to the same calculation that has shaped court politics for years: the next vacancy may not just fill a seat, but decide whether conservatives can lock in another generation of influence. If Alito or Thomas steps down while the Senate remains in Republican hands, Trump says he is ready to move fast. If neither does, the list stays in his pocket.