ABOARD AIR FORCE ONE (REUTERS) - US President Donald Trump said he is "100 per cent" certain that Dr Christine Blasey Ford named the wrong person when she accused Mr Brett Kavanaugh of sexual assault in testimony during his Supreme Court nomination hearings.
"This is one of the reasons I chose him is because there is no one with a squeaky clean past like Brett Kavanaugh. He is an outstanding person and I'm very honoured to have chosen him," Mr Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One while flying to a campaign rally in Kansas.
"We're very honoured that he was able to withstand this horrible, horrible attack by the Democrats."
Mr Trump's words echoed those of Dr Ford who told the Senate Judiciary Committee that she was "100 per cent" certain it was Mr Kavanaugh who sexually assaulted her in the upstairs bedroom of a home in a wealthy Washington suburb in 1982 when both of them were teenagers.
A deeply divided US Senate confirmed Mr Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court onSaturday (Oct 6), as Republicans dismissed the sexual misconduct accusations and delivered a major victory to Mr Trump.
Mr Trump watched the confirmation vote while flying on Air Force One to a political rally in Kansas, viewing the vote on large-screen television tuned to Fox News in a wood-panelled cabin.
He flashed two thumbs up when the final vote was declared and aides on board applauded.
He disputed predictions that women voters angry about Mr Kavanaugh's nomination could punish his party in the congressional elections on Nov 6. Hundreds of protesters in and around the US Capitol - many of whom were women - were arrested in the past week.
"Women were outraged at what happened to Brett Kavanaugh, outraged," Mr Trump said. "It was a total misnomer because the women I feel were in many ways stronger than men in his favour."
Mr Trump said the protesters were not genuine, but had been paid by liberal political donors and that his party would prevail in November when one-third of the Senate seats and all House seats will be up for election.
"I think the Republicans are going to do incredibly well," Mr Trump said.
