‘People in the Political Arena’
Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg worked very hard to not mention President Donald Trump by name, after comments she made in 2016, calling then-candidate Trump a “faker,” while suggesting that if he were to win the White House it would be “time for us to move to New Zealand.”
Asked on Sunday about the free press and if it’s been hampered – presumably by Trump – Ginsburg applauded the media overall.
“On the whole I think the press has done very well, not giving to the criticism from some, um, people in the political arena,” she said, after pausing. The audience knowingly laughed.
Ginsburg had sat down with CNN’s Poppy Harlow on Sunday for a talk hosted by Columbia University.
She also insisted the media has been attacked by presidents “from the very beginning,” mentioning Thomas Jefferson “didn’t think the press should be squelched,” she said, despite being “terribly distressed” by the media’s reporting.
“Do you think those holding the highest offices now politically think the press should be squelched?” Harlow asked. “I will not respond to that question,” Ginsburg said, clearly remembering her 2016 remarks.
“A free press is important to a society,” she would only say.
Back in 2016, Ginsburg did ask, “How has he gotten away with not turning over his tax returns? The press seems to be very gentle with him on that.”
In response to her remarks, Trump went ballistic, demanding she apologize. In what now would be seen as a bland and tepid comment, Trump had said, “I would hope that she would get off the court as soon as possible.”
Were it to happen today, no doubt it would have earned her a nickname.
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