President Trump says some Republicans are “very happy” with Roy Moore’s loss in Alabama, but “I would have liked to have had the seat” https://t.co/q1RK7oGQHV
— CNN Politics (@CNNPolitics) December 13, 2017
President Trump on Wednesday said he disagreed with Republicans who are “happy” that GOP Senate candidate Roy Moore lost Tuesday’s special Senate election.
“I wish we would have gotten the seat. A lot of Republicans feel differently, they’re very happy with the way it turned out,” Trump told reporters Wednesday at the White House.
“But I would have, as the leader of the party, I would have liked to have had the seat. I want to endorse the people that are running,” he continued.
{mosads}His comments come after Moore was defeated Tuesday by Democrat Doug Jones in the Senate race in Alabama.
Jones’s victory deals a blow to Trump and Senate Republicans, whose advantage in the upper chamber shrinks to a 51-49 margin.
Trump noted in a tweet following the election that he endorsed Moore’s primary opponent, Sen. Luther Strange (R-Ala.) because he didn’t think Moore could win the general election.
“Roy worked hard but the deck was stacked against him!” he tweeted.
However, Trump last week threw his full support behind Moore, who was accused within the last few weeks of the race by multiple women of sexual misconduct.
A woman accused Moore of initiating a sexual encounter with her when she was 14 and he was 32. Other women have alleged Moore made inappropriate advances on them when they were teenagers.
Moore has repeatedly denied the allegations of misconduct and said he did not date underaged women.
After the allegations came out against Moore, several Republicans called for the GOP Senate candidate to step aside in the race.