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Trump news: Amy Coney Barrett confirmed to replace Ruth Bader Ginsburg on Supreme Court in 52-48 Senate vote

US president Donald Trump, claims to have done ‘maybe a great job’ with coronavirus (AP)
US president Donald Trump, claims to have done ‘maybe a great job’ with coronavirus (AP)

Donald Trump's Supreme Court nomination, Amy Coney Barrett, was confirmed to replace Ruth Bader Ginsberg in a in a 52-48 Senate vote along mostly-party lines.

Just hours earlier, a suspicious package was found outside the US Capitol building where vote was held with police called to investigate.

The Trump White House, meanwhile, was set to host a celebratory reception for Ms Barrett after the confirmation despite fears it could turn into another coronavirus super spreader event.

It comes after Donald Trump held three rallies in Pennsylvania on a day Joe Biden pulled ahead in polling of the state, which was critical to the president's victory in 2016.

The president used his rallies to continue criticizing reporter Leslie Stahl after walking out on his 60 Minutes interview, which he called a "viscous attack".

He also complained on Twitter about “COVID, COVID, COVID” coverage in the media, while and attacking “bad Republicans” opposing him - like the prominent Lincoln Project.

As he headed into the final week of campaigning, Trump suggested reporting on a pandemic amounts to “election law violation” after the country recorded its highest number of new coronavirus infections so far over the weekend, reporting more than 84,000 cases on Friday and 79,000 on Saturday.

Meanwhile, his White House senior adviser and son-in-law, Jared Kushner, is facing growing backlash over comments he made on a Monday morning Fox and Friends appearance in which he was accused of suggesting some Black people don’t “want to be successful,” saying: “President Trump’s policies are the policies that can help people break out of the problems they’re complaining about … but he can’t want them to be successful more than they want to be successful.”

Watch: Who Is Amy Coney Barrett, Trump's Supreme Court Pick?

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