1:55
Several 2020 hopefuls, such as Sens. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., Kamala Harris, D-Calif., Texas Rep. Beto O’Rourke and South Bend, Indiana Mayor Pete Buttigieg, have at least said that they were willing to entertain the idea of adding justices to the Supreme Court.
\"Remind me what the Constitution says, about how many justices there should be on the Supreme Court,\" Karl asked ABC Political Director Rick Klein during Wednesday’s podcast.
\"Well that's an interesting one though, isn't it?\" Klein replied. \"Because actually the Constitution doesn't say.\"
Rep. Mark Green, R-Tenn., announced on Twitter that he would attempt to cement the court’s nine-justice tradition through a constitutional amendment. He said he plans to propose the amendment on Thursday.
This Thursday, I will be introducing a constitutional amendment that would limit the number of Supreme Court justices to 9 -- the number of seats since 1869. The Supreme Court must remain a fair and impartial branch of government not beholden to party. https://t.co/QoHZZyIpb6
— Rep. Mark Green (@RepMarkGreen) March 19, 2019
Florida Sen. Marco Rubio made a similar announcement in a Twitter post Tuesday.
Ironically same people always preaching about our “constitutional norms” want to change the ones they find inconvenient.
— Marco Rubio (@marcorubio) March 19, 2019
In addition to getting rid of #ElectoralCollege they also want to pack #SCOTUS.
I will soon file a bill to prevent this court packing scheme.
2/2
Earlier this week, at a town hall in Mississippi, Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., announced her support to abolish the Electoral College.
\"We've seen two elections just in the last two decades where the winner of the popular vote was not the winner of the Electoral College, and therefore was not the president,\" Klein said, referring to losses by Al Gore in 2000 and Hillary Clinton in 2016.
![\"PHOTO:](\"http://a.abcnews.com/images/Politics/warren-ap-er-190320_hpEmbed_8x5_384.jpg\")
Warren is by no means the first to push this idea. Under the current effort, nearly a quarter of states have signed onto a pledge that would give their electoral votes to the candidate who wins the nation’s popular vote.
![\"PHOTO:](\"http://a.abcnews.com/images/Politics/democratic-convention-gty-er-190122_hpMain_4x3t_384.jpg\")
President Donald Trump responded to the proposal Tuesday, writing on Twitter that in seeking the popular vote, presidential candidates would end up ignoring the Midwest and smaller states.
Campaigning for the Popular Vote is much easier & different than campaigning for the Electoral College. It’s like training for the 100 yard dash vs. a marathon. The brilliance of the Electoral College is that you must go to many States to win. With the Popular Vote, you go to....
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 20, 2019
....just the large States - the Cities would end up running the Country. Smaller States & the entire Midwest would end up losing all power - & we can’t let that happen. I used to like the idea of the Popular Vote, but now realize the Electoral College is far better for the U.S.A.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 20, 2019
\"He immediately seized on this, to make this a political issue that would appeal in the very states that you need to win as long as there is an Electoral College -- which there certainly will be in the next election,\" Karl said.
\"Loop it in with socialism and the Green New Deal and the other things, and you'll find a way to paint Democrats as coastal elites, and you gin up a base,\" Klein said.
On Wednesday, before Trump departed for a trip to Ohio, Karl asked the president whether the public has a right to see the long-awaited report expected from special counsel Robert Mueller’s office.
Asked by @jonkarl whether the public has a right to see the Mueller report, President Trump says, \"I don't mind, I mean frankly, I told the House, if you want let them see it.\" https://t.co/AGbK0wYa9o pic.twitter.com/s20HaFzafO
— ABC News Politics (@ABCPolitics) March 20, 2019
\"I don't mind. I mean frankly, I told the House if you want, let them see it,\" Trump responded.
He went on to reiterate, as he has said before, that Attorney General William Barr will decide if or how the report is released.
\"Now at the same time, let it come out, let people see it. That's up to the attorney general,\" Trump said.
Powerhouse Politics podcast is a weekly program that posts every Wednesday, and includes headliner interviews and in-depth looks at the people and events shaping U.S. politics. Powerhouse Politics podcast is hosted by ABC News Chief White House Correspondent Jonathan Karl and ABC News Political Director Rick Klein.
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