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Trump praises Collins, says he's "100 percent sure" Ford was wrong on Kavanaugh

Posted at 7:35 PM, Oct 06, 2018
and last updated 2018-10-06 19:35:02-04

President Donald Trump praised Sen. Susan Collins for her support of now-confirmed Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh, calling the Maine Republican "incredible" for her speech on the Senate floor just one day earlier.

"I thought that Susan was incredible yesterday," Trump told reporters Saturday as he left the White House to fly to Kansas for a political rally.

"She gave an impassioned, beautiful speech yesterday. And that was from the heart, that was from the heart," Trump added.

Collins, a key swing vote in the Senate, delivered a speech Friday afternoon affirming that she would vote to confirm Kavanaugh, who faced allegations of sexual assault. Kavanaugh has vehemently denied the allegations.

Before departing, Trump said that he was "really looking forward to the vote," and lauded Kavanaugh as an "extraordinary person" and "great talent."

"I think he's going to be a great, great Supreme Court Justice for many years," he said.

Trump also mentioned that he spoke to Collins, but did not provide additional details. "You could see how hard she worked. ... She didn't stop. And I know it for a fact because I spoke with her. She didn't stop," Trump said.

The Senate ultimately voted 50-48 to confirm Kavanaugh Saturday afternoon following a contentious confirmation battle.

'A hundred percent'

Trump also said Saturday that he is "a hundred percent" certain that Christine Blasey Ford named the wrong person when she accused Kavanaugh.

Talking to reporters aboard Air Force One on his way to a rally in Kansas, Trump told reporters, "I'm a hundred percent ... I have no doubt. And the FBI has done an excellent job. They went through it, and they went through it seven times. The FBI went through seven investigations and they did a very thorough job, excellent job."

Ford accused Kavanaugh of sexually assaulting her at a party when the two were in high school. He has denied the allegation.

Trump lauded what he said was Kavanaugh's "squeaky clean past" as a key part of his nomination.

"One of the reasons I chose him is because there is nobody with a squeaky clean past like Brett Kavanaugh," Trump said. "He is an outstanding person, and I'm very honored to have chosen him. He'll be there for many years, and I appreciate it very much."

'They're thinking of their sons'

When asked Saturday about his message to women across the country who feel divested or not believed, Trump replied, "I don't think they are."

Trump said that those who spoke most favorably of Kavanaugh to him were women, and that women were the most outraged at allegations against the judge.

"The people that spoke to me ... really in the strongest of terms in his favor were women," he said. "Women were outraged at what happened to Brett Kavanaugh, outraged. I think that's a total misnomer, because the women I feel were in many ways stronger than the men in his favor."

Trump also referenced how happy those women were for the sake of their husbands and male family members.

"You have a lot of women that are extremely happy, a tremendous number of women," he said. "They're thinking of their sons, they're thinking of their husbands, their brothers, their uncles, and others, and women are, I think, extremely happy."

Trump said Thursday that "it is a very scary time for young men in America, where you can be guilty of something you may not be guilty of."

When asked for his message to young women, Trump then replied "women are doing great" before walking off to board Marine One.