Trump’s quip – At an Oval Office event on Monday, President Donald Trump joked that Sen. Ted Cruz would be a slam-dunk for a U.S. Supreme Court seat—because, he said, Democrats would be “so elated” to be rid of him. Cruz responded by thanking Trump for “getting rid of that r
President Donald Trump introduced Ted Cruz with a smile that landed like a shot.
The moment came Monday at an Oval Office event for his “Trump Accounts. ” where Trump was walking through a long list of people involved in the new savings accounts for young Americans. When he reached Cruz. Trump recalled the two men’s 2016 GOP presidential primary clash. calling Cruz a “very tough competitor” before adding. “we became friends.”.
Then Trump pivoted to politics that sounded like a future personnel plan. He suggested he might someday nominate Cruz to the United States Supreme Court. setting up the quip that followed: that Cruz would get an easy confirmation because Democrats would supposedly be thrilled simply to see him leave the Senate.
“He’s done a wonderful job as a senator, highly respected. In fact, somebody said, would you ever appoint him to the United States Supreme Court? Because he’s a brilliant lawyer, Ted,” Trump said, before describing the vote math he believed would make the decision effortless.
“They said, well, he’s the only one I can think of that’s going to get 100 votes. All Republicans will vote for him. All Democrats will vote him because they want to get him the hell out of the Senate. No, if I was having a hard time with getting the votes, I would appoint Ted Cruz. I get 100 percent, a guarantee.”.
Cruz, for his part, answered with his own line—one that pulled the room back to something more immediate than court seats. Later during his remarks, he thanked Trump for “getting rid of that ridiculous red card.”
The reference was not abstract.
Cruz was pointing to reports—reports Trump later confirmed during the Q&A following the event—that Trump called the head of FIFA and asked for a review of the red card that would have barred U.S. Men’s National Team star Folarin Balogun from playing in the World Cup match against Belgium on Monday.
Those reports sparked a fast chain reaction. The red-card decision was appealed, overturned, and the U.S. forward was able to play, prompting swift accusations of corruption aimed at both Trump and FIFA.
The Oval Office moment—an upbeat introduction for “Trump Accounts”—ended up carrying two stories at once: Trump’s willingness to float a Supreme Court future for a rival-turned-ally with a joke about removal from the Senate. and the other. sharper controversy that Cruz referenced right after. In both. the same thing was on display—public action with immediate political consequences. whether the target was a Senate seat or a World Cup lineup.
Donald Trump Ted Cruz Supreme Court Oval Office Trump Accounts FIFA Folarin Balogun Belgium World Cup red card Senate confirmation