Report: Trump Spoke of Dumping an Ungrateful Gorsuch

Was reportedly 'very upset' after hearing Supreme Court nominee had disparaged him
By Jenn Gidman,  Newser Staff
Posted Dec 19, 2017 6:36 AM CST
Report: Trump Had 'Explosion,' Spoke of Dumping Gorsuch
In this Jan. 31, 2017, file photo, President Trump shakes hands with Neil Gorsuch, his choice for Supreme Court associate justice, in the East Room of the White House in Washington.   (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster, File)

Was the bloom at one point off the Neil Gorsuch rose? When President Trump first tapped the Supreme Court justice for the job earlier this year, he praised Gorsuch as being the "best" candidate for the job, and by many accounts, Gorsuch has since made good at carrying out the president's conservative agenda. And Trump has publicly touted Gorsuch as one of his main achievements so far—but privately things may have been quite different initially. Sources tell the Washington Post Trump was furious after hearing Gorsuch was slamming him in private meetings with lawmakers (specifically a February one with Democratic Sen. Richard Blumenthal) in response to the president's attacks on the judiciary. So furious, in fact, that Trump spoke of yanking his nomination of Gorsuch and finding someone else for the job, sources say.

"He's probably going to end up being a liberal like the rest of them," Trump reportedly told Paul Ryan and Mitch McConnell during a meeting; a source says McConnell had to talk Trump down. Part of what fueled Trump's "explosion" was that Gorsuch didn't seem "loyal" and appeared ungrateful for the opportunity of a lifetime position on the Supreme Court, other sources note. What appears to have soothed Trump's nerves: a handwritten letter from Gorsuch, dated March 2 and seen by the Post, expressing his gratitude. "Your address to Congress was magnificent," Gorsuch wrote. "And you were so kind to ... mention me. My teenage daughters were cheering the TV!" The White House is pushing back on the Post report. "At no point did the president consider withdrawing Justice Gorsuch's nomination," a spokesman said in a statement. "He is very proud of the accomplishment." (More President Trump stories.)

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