Former President Donald Trump was elected to his second term this week even as his party once again regained control of the Senate.

Some observers say those victories have created an opportunity for Trump to reshape the Supreme Court. 

Pollster: Trump will appoint "whomever he wants"

One of them is Republican pollster Frank Luntz, who spoke about that possibility during an Election Day interview with NewsNation. , the judicial ramifications of Tuesday night were highlighted by during an interview with

"The Supreme Court, with the Senate going red and with Trump at this point more than likely to be elected, still not a sure thing, but if he gets elected then he gets the appointment and with the Senate going Republican whomever he wants is going to end up on the Supreme Court,"  The Hill quoted Luntz as saying.

"That is about as big of an impact as you can have this election evening because there are a couple justices that will probably be retiring in the next year or two," he continued.

"If he has the Senate, it becomes easier for him to put forward his economic policies and some of it doesn’t even require a vote of Congress, but if you’re looking for that, that tariff policy is more likely than not to come into play," the pollster said of Trump.

Justices Thomas and Alito may consider stepping down

Another observer is former federal prosecutor Neama Rahmani, and he reached a similar conclusion when speaking with Newsweek.

Specifically, Rahmani stressed that Justice Clarence Thomas is 76 years old while fellow conservative Justice Samuel Alito will be 75 in April.

"Thomas or Alito may retire if Trump wins because they will want to be replaced by like-minded conservatives," Rahmani was quoted as saying.

"Thomas and Alito have both also experienced criticism for their out of court conduct and that of their spouses, which many deem to be partisan or violate ethics rules. They may want to step away from the spotlight," he stated.

Thomas may want to avoid Ginsburg's mistake

The Associated Press pointed out that Ed Whelan is a conservative attorney who previously clerked for Justice Antonin Scalia, and he suggested that Thomas may want to avoid the fate of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg.

Perpetuating a Strong Conservative Majority on the Supreme Court https://t.co/XSUGJCqQiH

— Ed Whelan (@EdWhelanEPPC) November 6, 2024

Ginsburg famously refused to step down during former President Barack Obama's time in office despite being elderly and having health problems. That fact allowed Trump to appoint her successor when she later passed away.

Whelan wrote in a National Review piece that "it would be foolish" for Thomas "to risk repeating Ruth Bader Ginsburg's mistake — hanging on only to die in office and be replaced by someone with a very different judicial philosophy."