Fill That Seat T-shirt goes on sale as Trump fans adopt new rally cry

US president Donald Trump expected to name Supreme Court nominee by Saturday (AP)
US president Donald Trump expected to name Supreme Court nominee by Saturday (AP)

As Donald Trump pushes ahead with nominating a Supreme Court replacement for Ruth Bader Ginsburg his supporters have rallied around Republican calls to “Fill That Seat”.

The US president told supporters on Saturday that they should print the words “Fill That seat!” on a t-shirt, following their chants at a campaign rally in Fayetteville, North Carolina.

Those calls, which came within 24-hours of the 87-year-old’s death on Friday, appeared on a t-shirt available to purchase on the US president’s campaign website for $30 (£23).

Along with an image of the White House, the t-shirt reads: "Fill That Seat! - Make America Great Again”.

Now, the Supreme Court vacancy has become a rallying cry for Republican supporters, who again broke-out with calls of “Fill that seat!” during a rally in Ohio, as others held “Fill That seat!” signs.

Earlier on Monday, Mr Trump had said he expects to announce the nominee before Saturday.

It comes four years after the Republican-controlled Senate refused to consider former president Barack Obama’s nomination of Merrick Garland some nine months ahead of the 2016 election.

Mr Trump, dismissing Democrat calls for Ginsburg’s replacement to be chosen by the winner of November's race, argues that previous presidents filled seats “every single time”.

He told Fox & Friends on Monday: "I think that would be good for the Republican Party, and I think it would be good for everybody to get it over with."

In an appeal to the conscience of Republican senators, Democratic presidential nominee Joe Bide has urged members of Congress to "uphold your constitutional duty, your conscience" and wait until after the election to back a Supreme Court nomination.

Democratic donors were reported to have received more than $100 million (£67,109) in online donations following Ginsberg’s death on Friday, as the Supreme Court vacancy galvanises both Democratic and Republican supporters.

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