Trump says Senate should block Obama's Supreme Court nominee — even if it's his sister

Donald Trump is very much in favor of Senate Republicans blocking President Obama's Supreme Court nominee — even if Obama were to pick Trump's own sister. As Obama is poised to make his nomination announcement Wednesday morning, Trump maintained that the next president should be the one to fill the spot left vacant by the death last month of conservative Justice Antonin Scalia.

"The ideal [justice] would be Scalia reincarnated," Trump recently told radio host Hugh Hewitt.

When pressed Wednesday on CNN's New Day, Trump held firm, saying he wasn't "in favor of going forward," Politico reports. Host Chris Cuomo then asked what Trump would think if Obama were to nominate his sister, Maryanne Trump Barry, who is a senior United States Circuit judge.

The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

Join more than 350,000 subscribers and keep yourself informed with a selection of The Week’s most interesting, enlightening and entertaining stories - plus daily puzzles.

Join more than 350,000 subscribers and keep yourself informed with a selection of The Week’s most interesting, enlightening and entertaining stories - plus daily puzzles.

Sign up

"I would say the same thing," Trump replied.

The question was purely hypothetical: Barry is not among the names being circulated on Obama's shortlist. Many believe Obama will nominate D.C. Circuit Judge Sri Srinivasan, who was unanimously confirmed by the Senate in May 2013, or Clinton appointee Merrick Garland.