President Donald Trump predicted on Monday morning that Sens. Susan Collins (R-ME), who is up for reelection this year, and Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) will be hurt politically by their pledge to hold off on approving a new Supreme Court justice before Election Day.
“I think Susan Collins is very badly hurt by her statement yesterday, and I think Murkowski is very badly hurt,” Trump said during a phone interview on “Fox and Friends.”
The President told the Fox News hosts that Murkowski’s decision will “follow her” come 2022, when her term is up.
Trump also complained that the Alaska Republican hadn’t worked enough for him, grousing that “nobody’s ever done so much more for so little.”
“And I think that Susan Collins is going to be hurt very badly,” the President said again. “Her people are not going to take this.”
On Saturday, Collins announced that whoever wins the presidential election should choose the successor to the late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg.
“In fairness to the American people, who will either be re-electing the President or selecting a new one, the decision on a lifetime appointment to the Supreme Court should be made by the President who is elected on November 3rd,” she stated.
Murkowski joined Collins the next day, stating that “for weeks, I have stated that I would not support taking up a potential Supreme Court vacancy this close to the election.”
“Sadly, what was then a hypothetical is now our reality, but my position has not changed,” she continued.
Two more defections from the GOP would block Trump and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell’s (R-KY) efforts to replace Ginsburg.
Listen to Trump below:
Trump says Collins and Murkowski were "very badly hurt" by their announcements against filling SCOTUS seat before elections. pic.twitter.com/kXvNpayr2A
— TPM Livewire (@TPMLiveWire) September 21, 2020
