President Trump speaking prior to his departure from the White House on Sept. 19. Photo: Sarah Silbiger/Getty Images
President Trump said during a Fayetteville, North Carolina, rally Saturday he'll announce a nominee for Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg's vacant Supreme Court seat "next week" and "it will be a woman."
Details: Trump told reporters earlier, "The choice of a woman, I would say, would certainly be appropriate."
For the record: Judge Amy Coney Barrett, a federal judge on the U.S. Appeals Court for the Seventh Circuit, is a front-runner to become Trump's nominee.
What else he's saying: When asked whether he expects a vote before the election, Trump responded: "I don't know. We're working with all of the Republican senators and working with Mitch McConnell. And we'll be making a decision, I would think, before would be very good. ...I think the process can go very, very fast. I'll be making my choice, soon."
- Trump added he'd alert Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) and the Senate once his choice is made. "They will do what they have to do," he added. "I think we'll have a very popular choice, whoever it may be."
Of note: Trump said he disagreed with Sen. Susan Collin's (R-Maine), who in a statement Saturday said she believes whoever is elected in the 2020 presidential race should pick the nominee to fill Ginsburg's Supreme Court seat.
- "I totally disagree with her," Trump said. "We won."
Go deeper: Trump says Republicans have an obligation to fill Ginsburg's seat
Editor's note: This article has been updated with Trump's declaration that he will nominate a woman and to include details on the leading candidate likely to be picked.