Trump said he was 'actually sad' to hear of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg's death: 'She led an amazing life'

President Donald Trump speaks to the press pool as he reacts to the news of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg's death on the tarmac of Bemidji Regional Airport after addressing supporters during a "Great American Comeback" rally at in Bemidji, Minnesota, on September 18, 2020.

BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP via Getty Images

• President Donald Trump at first missed the news of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg's death on Friday on account of a campaign rally in Minnesota.
• "She just died? Wow. I didn't know that," Trump told reporters who informed him of her passing afterwards.
• He continued: "She was an amazing woman who led an amazing life. I'm actually sad to hear that."
• Bipartisan tributes are pouring in for the judicial icon whose death opens up a seat on the Supreme Court less than two months before a presidential election. 
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President Donald Trump said on Friday night that he was "sad" to hear that Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg had died.

Trump was speaking to a crowd of supporters at a "Great American Comeback" rally at Bemidji Regional Airport in Bemidji, Minnesota, when it came to light that Ginsburg, 87, had died due to complications from metastatic pancreatic cancer. 

Still in the dark, he told the crowd that the Supreme Court "is so important," adding, "The next president will get one, two, three or four Supreme Court justices ... Many presidents have had none."

An attendee shouted "Ginsburg is dead," apparently trying to inform Trump of what had just occurred. The president, however, didn't hear the person, according to reporters at the scene.

Trump finished his address and headed to Air Force One. That's when the press pool informed him of Ginsburg's passing.

"She just died?" he asked. "Wow. I didn't know that. You're just telling me now for the first time."

The president continued: "She led an amazing life. What else can you say? She was an amazing woman, whether you agree or not. She was an amazing woman who led an amazing life. I'm actually sad to hear that."

—Henry Rodgers (@henryrodgersdc) September 19, 2020

 

Bipartisan tributes poured in for Ginsburg, a judicial icon. Her death opens up a seat on the Supreme Court in an election year. 

In a statement later on Friday night, Trump called Ginsburg a "titan of the law" who "demonstrated that one can disagree without being disagreeable towards one's colleagues."

—Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 19, 2020

 

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