Gail Evans Justice Stephen Breyer Gail Evans (left) and Justice Stephen Breyer. (Photo: Heidi Morton)

Just after Justice Stephen Breyer sat down to discuss his book about the U.S. Supreme Court and the influence of world issues, his interviewer asked about ”the elephant in the room.”

What did he have to say about President Donald Trump's Nov. 1 statement that the U.S. justice system was “a laughingstock,” asked Gail Evans, a former CNN executive vice president.

“Obviously, I have a self-interest,” Breyer said to laughs from the 1,000 spectators at an Atlanta Jewish book festival Saturday night. But he added, “I think we do pretty well.”