On Wednesday, CBS’s Charlie Rose was caught openly rooting for Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg to delay her retirement from the Supreme Court – for as long as Donald Trump is President.
The CBS This Morning anchor, on his PBS show, encouraged the Bill Clinton appointee to stick to the health regimen set up by her personal trainer as he warned: “Donald Trump may have the chance [to appoint another justice]. So you keep up that exercise, okay?”
CHARLIE ROSE: You’re 84, 85. Justice [Stephen] Breyer who I interviewed on this very same stage is what? 79, 80?
RUTH BADER GINSBURG: Yeah, 79.
ROSE: Seventy-nine, I think. So Donald Trump may have the chance, may – so you keep up that exercise, okay?
GINSBURG: Justice Breyer is also using [personal trainer] Brian Johnson.
ROSE: So the future of the country is in Brian Johnson’s hands. [LAUGHTER]
This wasn’t the only instance of Rose revealing his liberalism during the interview. CBS This Morning, on Wednesday, aired a portion of the Ginsburg interview in which Rose gushed over “one of my favorite people” and peppered the justice on just how much sexism Hillary Clinton faced in 2016.
The following is a transcript of the retirement section of the interview, as it was aired on the September 27 edition of PBS’s Charlie Rose show:
CHARLIE ROSE: You are now the longest serving Jewish member of the court.
JUSTICE RUTH BADER GINSBURG: Yes, yes. I had said – people have been asking me now for some time, because my next birthday, I will be 85.
ROSE: Eighty-five. Alright! And might we say a healthy 85 because of [personal trainer] Brian Johnson.
GINSBURG: But it started I guess when I turned 70. “When are you going to step down?” So I had a stock answer. I said Justice [Louis] Brandeis was appointed when he was the same age as I was when he was appointed. We were both 60. He was on the Court for 23 years. I expect to stay at least as long as Justice Brandeis. Now I am about two years passed.
ROSE: Yeah, so what’s the new standard?
GINSBURG: So now my answer is I will remain in this good job as long as I can do it full steam.
ROSE: And we hope for a long time.
[Applause]
GINSBURG: But –
ROSE: But, but you’re 84, 85. Justice [Stephen] Breyer who I interviewed on this very same stage is what? 79, 80?
GINSBURG: Yeah, 79.
ROSE: 79, I think. So Donald Trump may have the chance, may – So you keep up that exercise, okay?
[Laughter, applause]
GINSBURG: Justice Breyer is also using [personal trainer] Brian Johnson.
ROSE: So the future of the country is in Brian Johnson’s hands. You go out there and you buy that [Johnson] book, okay! So as long as you feel like are you doing the job that President Clinton asked you to do when he appointed you, you will be right there on your seat in the Supreme –
GINSBURG: Like Justice John Paul Stevens. He stepped down when he was 90.
ROSE: And he was, he was? So you got five years, at least. That will take you through another presidential election.
GINSBURG: And he was –
[Applause]
GINSBURG: He was swift in getting out his opinions. Since he stepped down from the Court he has written – published two books. And he’s well on his way to completing the third.
ROSE: Alright. Listen, I’m with you, for goodness sakes I’m with you! You know. I think the word retirement is an awful word.
