"The Democrats are making a strong push to abolish ICE, one of the smartest, toughest and most spirited law enforcement groups," President Donald Trump wrote on Twitter. | Evan Vucci/AP Photo Trump focused on July 9 date for SCOTUS pick

President Donald Trump reaffirmed Saturday that he will announce his Supreme Court pick on July 9 and is looking to narrow the names of his possible options this weekend.

Trump had also given the July 9 date to reporters aboard Air Force One on Friday. The president also said he may welcome two of the possible candidates on his list to New Jersey this weekend, where he is staying at his property in Bedminster with his family. After the election, then President-elect Trump interviewed a number of people there for possible Cabinet positions.


The timing of the announcement is important because the president will head to Europe on July 10 for his meetings with NATO and a summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

"I may have two of them come up, like the old days to Bedminister...could be this weekend...It is exciting," the president said. "Outside of war and peace, of course, the most important decision you make is the selection of a Supreme Court judge, if you get it. As you know, there are many presidents who never get a choice."

On Saturday, he tweeted: “I will be making my choice for Justice of the United States Supreme Court on the first Monday after the July 4th Holiday, July 9th!“

Justice Anthony Kennedy's announcement earlier this week that he is retiring at the end of July means Trump will be appointing his second justice, a pick that is expected to tilt the nation's highest court towards a more conservative legal direction for years to come. Kennedy was considered a swing vote on the court, and Trump's pick, which he said will come from a list of 25 names he put out during the 2016 campaign, is expected to have similar views to Justice Neil Gorsuch, his first appointment.

Trump also sought to push back on a growing push within the Democratic Party to abolish the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency and to return some of ICE's responsibilities to other outlets in the federal government. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) called ICE a "deportation force" on Thursday.

"The Democrats are making a strong push to abolish ICE, one of the smartest, toughest and most spirited law enforcement groups of men and women that I have ever seen," the president wrote on Twitter. "I have watched ICE liberate towns from the grasp of MS-13 & clean out the toughest of situations. They are great!"