Trump reups calls to put Cruz on Supreme Court in vacancy scenario
Trump and Cruz have one of the stranger political relationships in Washington. Seven years ago Trump was calling him "Lyin' Ted" and floating birther theories about him. Now they share a stage and the president is teasing him with a life-tenured job, which is its own kind of compliment.
The joke lands because it contains a truthful observation. Cruz is an acquired taste even among his own colleagues, and the suggestion that both parties would confirm him just to move him out of the Senate is funny precisely because there's a sliver of plausibility in it. But this is pure theater. There's no opening on the Court, and Cruz has repeatedly said he has no desire to be a judge, let alone a justice. He's a litigator and a legislator at heart, and he seems to like it that way.
What I'd watch is whether this joke gets any traction beyond the stump. Trump floats names casually, and more than one of his offhand suggestions has become a real nomination. But Republicans need Cruz exactly where he is if they want to hold the Texas seat and the Senate majority, so the likelihood of this becoming anything more than a rally bit is close to zero.
That's probably for the best. Some rivalries turn into alliances, and this one has, but putting Cruz on the bench would end one of the more entertaining shows in the Capitol.