Trump says Ruth Bader Ginsburg should apologize to Supreme Court
Donald Trump hit back at Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg for the disparaging comments she's made about him over the last week.
"I think it's highly inappropriate that a United States Supreme Court judge gets involved in a political campaign, frankly," Mr. Trump told the New York Times in a phone interview. "I think it's a disgrace to the court, and I think she should apologize to the court. I couldn't believe it when I saw it."
He also said in the interview, "It's so beneath the court for her to be making statements like that. It only energizes my base even more. And I would hope that she would get off the court as soon as possible."
Ginsburg had told the Times in an interview published Sunday, that she "can't imagine what the country would be -- with Donald Trump as our president." And while she implied his presidency would be bad for the country, he could have an even longer-term impact on the court.
"For the country, it could be four years. For the court, it could be -- I don't even want to contemplate that." As her late husband used to say, "'Now it's time for us to move to New Zealand,'" she told the Times.
She had told the Associated Press a couple of days earlier that "it's likely that the next president, whoever she will be, will have a few appointments to make." Ginsburg, the oldest justice on the court, is 83 years old; Anthony Kennedy is 79 years old (he'll be 80 this month) and Stephen Breyer is 77 (he'll be 78 years old in August).
In the interview with the Times, Trump also said his decision about a running mate will come in the next three or four days, and he mentioned the top contenders, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich and Indiana Gov. Mike Pence.
While he's met with all three and has also been campaigning with each, ultimately he says he's likely to rely on his instincts to make the final call. "A lot of is gut. A lot of it is," he told the Times. "My whole life has been about gut."