"I would be surprised if there are any Democrats who would describe any of those 11 individuals as a consensus nominee,” said White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest. | AP Photo White House smacks down Trump's Supreme Court list

Minutes after Donald Trump on Wednesday released a list of 11 potential Supreme Court nominees, the White House did not even need to see the names to blast his choices and advocate for the Senate to move forward with the nomination of Judge Merrick Garland.

“Let me make this observation: I would be surprised if there are any Democrats who would describe any of those 11 individuals as a consensus nominee,” press secretary Josh Earnest told reporters during a news conference.


Earnest noted that Garland is someone who has been described by Republicans as a "consensus nominee," a descriptor used by Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) in 2010.

"And I think that speaks to the wisdom of the Senate acting on the president’s nomination and I think it speaks to the president’s commitment to fulfilling his constitutional responsibilities to fill the vacancy on the Supreme Court in a way that is consistent with his desire to protect the Supreme Court from the kind of partisan wars that it’s been subjected to of late," Earnest said.

Of the 11 names on the list, six were appointed to federal appeals courts by George W. Bush and five were appointed to their state supreme courts by Republican governors. In announcing the list, Trump's campaign proclaimed it as a who's who of judges seen as more conservative.