President Donald Trump's deliberations over a Supreme Court nominee now center on three candidates culled from his shortlist: federal judges Brett Kavanaugh, Raymond Kethledge and Amy Coney Barrett, according to White House officials and Trump advisers involved in the discussions.
But Trump's
final decision on a replacement for retiring Justice Anthony Kennedy remained fluid as he traveled Thursday to a political rally in Montana before heading to his golf course in New Jersey for the weekend, with the president pinballing between associates as he seeks feedback and suggestions.
While Trump has placed Kavanaugh, a polished former Kennedy clerk and Yale Law School graduate, near the top of his list, he has also been asking several friends and aides about whether Kavanaugh's past work in George W. Bush's White House would be an issue for his core supporters, thousands of whom filled the Four Seasons Arena in Great Falls, Montana, Thursday evening.
And Trump is hearing out arguments for Kethledge, another former Kennedy clerk, and for Coney Barrett, a Notre Dame law professor who is being championed by some social conservatives, according to the advisers, who requested anonymity since they were not authorized to speak publicly.
Kavanaugh and Kethledge have the "inside track," according to a person close to the president, because many White House officials believe Coney Barrett, 46, could instead be a pick for the high court in the coming years, after she gains more experience on the federal bench.
A second person close to the president said Thursday that Kavanaugh and Kethledge are the shortlist.
Vice President Mike Pence met privately with Kavanaugh on Wednesday at the vice president's residence and that session went well, underscoring the judge's strong prospects, according to two Republicans briefed on the meeting.
"I think I have it down to four people and I think of the four people, I have it down to three or two. I think they're all outstanding," Trump told reporters Thursday en route to Montana, declining to name the finalists. "I don't want say the four. But I have it down to four. I'll have a decision made in my mind by Sunday. We'll announce it on Monday."
Others who emerged on Trump's shortlists just days ago - federal judges Thomas Hardiman, Amul Thapar and Joan Larsen as well as Sen. Mike, R-Utah, - remain in contention, but the president's queries have mostly been about the leading contenders, whether it's been during phone calls, in Oval Office meetings or on Air Force One.