President Donald Trump is accusing Democrats of "playing the religious card" when it comes to his decision to nominate Judge Amy Coney Barrett, a Catholic, for the Supreme Court vacancy.
During a Sunday night press briefing at the White House, Trump spoke about the previous day's announcement that Barrett is his choice to succeed the late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg.
"On the religious situation with Amy, I thought that we settled this 60 years ago with the election of John F. Kennedy," said Trump, referencing the nation's first and only Catholic president.
"But seriously, they are going after her Catholicism. I will stand with her, fight with her, and we will make sure that these attacks stop because … they're basically fighting a major religion in our country. This is incredible. Fighting any religion, fighting Catholicism, is just incredible that they can be doing it."
Later during the briefing, Trump added, "They're playing the religious card."
Some Democrats claim that because Barrett is a devout Catholic, her religious views on issues such as abortion could interfere with any rulings she makes from the bench if she is confirmed to the nation's highest court.