President Trump said Thursday night that Senate Democrats are “looking like fools” with angry antics to oppose Supreme Court nominee Brett M. Kavanaugh, and predicted their performance will backfire on some presidential hopefuls in 2020.
At a campaign rally in Billings, Montana, Mr. Trump said Judge Kavanaugh is “doing really well” in his confirmation hearings this week before the Senate Judiciary Committee. But he said Democrats’ vocal opposition to the nominee is “sick.”
“One of them will most likely be a candidate to run against your all-time favorite president, me,” Mr. Trump said. “When I see the anger in their eyes … and the hatred, they’re losing by doing it. It’s embarrassing to watch those people make fools of themselves as they scream and shout.”
Two Democrats leading the charge against Judge Kavanaugh, Sens. Cory Booker of New Jersey and Kamala Harris of California, are often mentioned as possible contenders for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2020.
The president visited Montana to campaign for Republican state Auditor Matt Rosendale, who is challenging Democratic Sen. Jon Tester. He said Mr. Tester is lax on immigration policies, and criticized him again for undermining Adm. Ronny Jackson’s candidacy to become secretary of Veterans Affairs, saying the lawmaker told “lies” about the admiral’s personal conduct.
Mr. Trump also blasted The New York Times for publishing an opinion column Wednesday by an anonymous administration official who described a “resistance” within the government fighting to thwart Mr. Trump’s policies.
“Nobody knows who the hell he is, or she,” the president said. “But for the sake of our national security, the New York Times should publish his name at once. Unelected deep-state operatives who defy the voters to push their own secret agendas are truly a threat to democracy itself.”
The president belittled media reports that he is “stomping around screaming in anger” over the anonymous op-ed and a new book critical of his leadership.
“They had me screaming, shouting like a lunatic,” Mr. Trump said, shaking his head. “The White House is really working good.”
He said he asked a staffer about media pundits, “Why are they so filled with hatred?”
The aide replied, according to the president, “Because you’ve upset their entire way of life.”
Referring to the possibility of Democrats winning back the House and impeaching him, Mr. Trump asked, “How do you impeach somebody who’s doing a great job?”
He predicted the U.S. would become “a third-world country” if Democrats impeached him, saying it would lead to a cycle of partisan reprisals of impeachments.
“Every time before [an administration] even starts, they’ll say ’we want to impeach him’,” Mr. Trump told the crowd. “It’s so ridiculous. If it happens, it’ll be your fault because you didn’t go out and vote.”
• Dave Boyer can be reached at dboyer@washingtontimes.com.
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