Trump says if Amy Coney Barrett is not confirmed to Supreme Court it will be Republicans' fault
Trump on 'Mornings with Maria' also said he would not participate in a virtual debate
President Trump said on Thursday that if his Supreme Court nominee Amy Coney Barrett is not confirmed it will be Republicans' fault.
Trump made the comments in a wide-ranging interview on FOX Business' "Mornings with Maria" in which he said that he will not participate in a virtual presidential debate and also predicted that if elected, Joe Biden would only serve for "two months."'
"If we don't it's Republicans' fault because there's no reason why not," Trump said when host Maria Bartiromo asked him about the possibility Barrett would not be confirmed before the election.
Trump then went on to claim that many Supreme Court vacancies have been filled in election years in the past. Such election-year vacancies are generally filled when the Senate and presidency are controlled by the same party. But none have been filled this close to a presidential election.
If Barrett is confirmed, she would be the third Supreme Court justice appointed by Trump in three years, which is more than most presidents get to appoint even if they serve two full terms.
The confirmation hearings are expected to be highly contentious, and outside groups on both sides are gearing up to spend tens of millions of dollars on advertising and activism fighting either for or against Barrett's confirmation.
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE ON FOX BUSINESS
Barrett would replace late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, who was the face of the liberal wing of the Supreme Court. That would significantly change the ideological balance of the court.
Right now Republicans appear to have the votes to confirm Barrett, with only two members of their 53-member caucus saying they object to advancing the nomination ahead of the presidential election. Three members of their caucus, however, tested positive for the coronavirus last week and if they don't recover in time for a floor vote later this month their need to quarantine could potentially complicate matters.
Hearings on Barrett's nomination will begin in the Senate Judiciary Committee on Monday.