Trump tackles Supreme Court justice retirement rumors

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00:00Trump tackles Supreme Court justice retirement rumors.

00:04President Donald Trump, in a recent interview, said that he wants no changes at the Supreme Court.

00:09Amid retirement rumors, he hopes Justices Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito

00:13will remain on the bench long after he leaves the White House.

00:17During an interview with Politico's Dasha Burns, who pointed out that Thomas is 77 and Alito 75,

00:24Trump was asked, do you want one more justice on there?

00:27Uh, well, I hope they stay because I think they're fantastic, OK?

00:31Both of those men are fantastic, Trump answered.

00:34I will say this. The Democrats want to pack the court.

00:38They want to have 21 justices.

00:40That would be a terrible thing for this country, Trump claimed.

00:43According to the Wall Street Journal, sources close to Alito said last year that he had no plans to retire,

00:49despite legal activists speculating he might step down for a younger conservative.

00:53Around the same time, Reuters reported that Thomas had no public plans to retire,

00:58even though social media rumors suggested otherwise.

01:01The Supreme Court currently leans 6-3 conservative,

01:04with Trump having appointed three of its members during his first presidential term,

01:09including Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh, and Amy Coney Barrett.

01:13The court's majority has supported the Trump administration in cases involving immigration

01:17and cuts to federal agencies.

01:20Nominated by former President George H.W. Bush,

01:23Thomas joined the Supreme Court in 1991

01:25and is now its longest-serving member.

01:28Although age has been a concern,

01:30former Justices Stephen Breyer and Anthony Kennedy retired in their 80s,

01:34while John Paul Stevens remained on the court until age 90.

01:37The Supreme Court was a very important part of the Supreme Court in the United States.