President Trump took a bow Saturday night, hours after the Senate confirmed his second Supreme Court nominee, Brett Kavanaugh — calling the afternoon vote “a tremendous victory for our nation, our people and our beloved constitution.”
“I want to thank our incredible Republican senators for refusing to back down to the Democrats’ shameless campaign of political and personal destruction,” Trump told a Topeka, Kan., campaign rally for embattled GOP candidates in the historically red state, where Democrats have been surging.
“Radical Democrats launched a disgraceful campaign to delay, demolish and destroy right from the beginning,” he railed.
“In their quest for power, the Democrats have turned into an angry mob,” he said, alluding to the protesters that followed GOP senators through the halls of Congress and demonstrated at their homes in hopes of keeping Kavanaugh off the bench.
“But each of you will have a chance in just four weeks to render your verdict on the Democrats’ conduct at the ballot box,” he said, echoing Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell’s claim that the anti-Kavanaugh tactics have fired up the Republican base.
“Republicans believe in the rule of law, not the rule of the mob,” Trump said. “You don’t hand matches to an arsonist, and you don’t give power to an angry, left-wing mob.”
Earlier Saturday from the White House, Trump characterized the wrenching national debate over Kavanaugh’s nomination as “a very exciting time.”
“Maybe the process, it was really unattractive,” Trump said as he left for Kansas.
“But the extra week was something that I think was really good … It didn’t look that way, but in the end that’s what happened.”
He also heaped praise on Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine).
“I thought that Susan was incredible,” Trump said.
“She gave an impassioned, beautiful speech [Friday] and that was from the heart.”
