100% Vote? Trump’s Wild Cruz Pitch

Man speaking at a conference with microphone

President Trump is openly mulling Ted Cruz for a future Supreme Court seat, even as Cruz keeps saying his answer would be “hell no.”

Story Snapshot

Trump is again floating Senator Ted Cruz as a potential Supreme Court nominee and calling him a brilliant conservative legal mind.
Trump jokes Cruz would get “100%” support from both parties because they all want him out of the Senate, turning a serious idea into a laugh line.
Cruz has repeatedly told Trump he does not want to be a justice, saying his answer is “not just no, it’s hell no.”
The back-and-forth shows how Trump uses Supreme Court talk to rally conservatives while Cruz focuses on staying in the political fight.

Trump Floats Cruz As a Supreme Court Conservative Firebrand

At a summit in Washington promoting his new Trump Accounts program for children, President Donald Trump turned from policy to the Supreme Court and singled out Senator Ted Cruz. Trump called Cruz “a very tough guy, very brilliant guy,” praising his “brilliant legal mind” and conservative credentials that fit the kind of justice he wants on the bench. He reminded supporters that getting nominees confirmed is hard, so he wants someone who can both uphold the Constitution and actually make it through a hostile Senate.

Trump then told the crowd he has a unique solution to that problem: Ted Cruz. He said if he nominated Cruz to the United States Supreme Court, he would “get 100% of the vote,” claiming every Democrat and every Republican would back him. The reason, Trump joked, is that both sides “want to get him the hell out” of the Senate because Cruz is such a “pain in the a–” for the establishment, even as Trump quickly added that he is “so good and so talented.” The crowd laughed, but Trump’s praise made clear he sees Cruz as a serious conservative warrior.

Cruz Says “Hell No” and Chooses the Political Fight Over the Robe

While Trump publicly talks up Cruz’s name, Cruz is just as public about not wanting the job. In interviews and statements, Cruz has said Trump discussed all three Supreme Court vacancies with him seriously during the first term, and each time he told the president no. Responding to Trump’s latest remarks, Cruz said, “My answer’s not just no, it’s hell no,” explaining that a principled federal judge must stay out of policy and political fights, and that is not the role he believes he is called to play.

Cruz, a former clerk to Chief Justice William Rehnquist and former Texas solicitor general, clearly has the resume to be a justice. But Cruz argues his real value to the movement is on the front lines, writing bills, arguing cases, and leading the charge for conservative constitutionalism in Congress, not behind the bench’s marble walls. He has said he cares deeply about putting principled constitutionalists on the Court and has helped nominate and confirm hundreds of judges, yet he “doesn’t want to be one of them,” choosing instead to stay in the arena and keep pressing fights over immigration, gun rights, and limits on government power.

Why This Supreme Court Talk Matters for Conservatives

Trump’s public teasing of a Cruz nomination fits a long pattern where presidents float big names to test the waters and rally their base before any formal move is made. Under the Constitution’s appointments clause, nothing is real until the president sends a written nomination to the Senate and the Judiciary Committee opens hearings. So far, no such formal step has happened for Cruz, only Trump’s speeches and lists naming him among possible picks if a seat opens in Trump’s second term.

TRUMP JOKES TED CRUZ WOULD GET "100 VOTES" FOR THE SUPREME COURT

President Donald Trump had the crowd laughing after joking about whether Sen. Ted Cruz should one day serve on the U.S. Supreme Court.

"He's highly respected… somebody asked if I'd appoint him to the United… pic.twitter.com/8NVoyYz8RA

— Chosen People (@ChosenPeopleVIP) July 6, 2026

For conservative readers, the exchange still matters. It shows Trump’s continued focus on shaping the Court with justices who “believe in the Constitution” and resist left-wing attempts to rewrite basic rights, from gun ownership to citizenship. It also shows Cruz’s choice to stay in the legislative trenches, where he can author bills, grill nominees, and block globalist, woke, big-government agendas day after day. Whether or not Cruz ever wears the robe, Trump’s talk keeps pressure on the Senate and reminds every politician watching that the next Supreme Court fight could again reshape the country for a generation.