Trump Praises Alito for Staying on Supreme Court: ‘One of the Greatest of All Time’
President Donald Trump celebrated Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito’s decision to remain on the bench for another term, praising the longtime conservative justice as one of the greatest members ever to serve on the nation’s highest court.
Trump applauded Alito in a late-night social media post after the 76-year-old justice confirmed that he has no plans to retire before the Supreme Court’s upcoming term. The announcement ended months of speculation that Alito might step aside while Republicans control both the White House and Senate.
“Great news for our Country! Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito has announced that he is staying for another Term,” Trump wrote. “He is one of the Greatest of All Time. We are all lucky!”
Alito confirmed his intentions in a recent interview, saying it was obvious that he would be returning for another term. The Supreme Court is currently on its summer recess and will reconvene when its new term begins in October.
Some conservatives had encouraged Alito and Justice Clarence Thomas, 78, to consider retiring while Trump has the opportunity to nominate their replacements. With Republicans holding a 53-47 advantage in the Senate, Trump could potentially replace either justice with a younger conservative who could remain on the court for decades.
Alito has pushed back against those calls, joking that speculation about his retirement serves as an uncomfortable reminder of mortality. He compared those waiting for him to leave the court to vultures circling overhead and noted that such speculation comes with receiving a lifetime appointment.
Trump already transformed the Supreme Court during his first term by appointing Justices Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh and Amy Coney Barrett. Those appointments helped establish the court’s current 6-3 conservative majority and have played a major role in some of the most consequential rulings of recent years.
Alito has been one of the court’s most consistently conservative members since joining the bench in January 2006. He was nominated by President George W. Bush and has now served for more than two decades, including authoring the majority opinion that overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022.
His decision to stay carries additional political significance because Republicans could lose control of the Senate in November’s midterm elections. Democrats would need a net gain of four seats to secure an outright majority, potentially making it far more difficult for Trump to confirm another conservative Supreme Court nominee.
The question could become even more consequential as the 2028 presidential election approaches. For now, however, Alito has made clear that retirement is not imminent, and Trump is enthusiastically backing his decision to continue serving on the Supreme Court.