Trump says he knew Moore would lose Alabama election in tweets
Following a major upset in the Alabama special election on Tuesday, President Trump said he knew Republican candidate Judge Roy Moore would lose in an early morning tweet.
Mr. Trump wrote that he had originally endorsed Senate candidate Luther Strange in the Republican primary, claiming "his numbers went up mightily" after the fact, because he knew Moore would "not be able to win the general election."
The president had actively campaigned for Strange who was technically an incumbent after being appointed to the Senate to replace current Attorney General Jeff Sessions. He later said he "might've made a mistake" by endorsing Strange.
"I was right!" Mr. Trump claimed in his tweet, adding that Moore had "worked hard but the deck was stacked against him!"
Moore lost Tuesday's special election after continuing his campaign amid numerous allegations of sexual misconduct were leveled against him. The controversy surrounding Moore's murky past forced many Republicans to call for him to step down from the race.
Mr. Trump, however, gave Moore a formal endorsement in the weeks leading up to the election and later recorded a robocall for the campaign. The White House had since maintained that it would be up to the voters of Alabama to decide Moore's fate amid the ongoing allegations.
Shortly after the race was called for Moore's Democratic opponent Doug Jones, the president issued a more tame tweet, congratulating Jones on a "hard fought victory."
"The write-in votes played a very big factor, but a win is a win. The people of Alabama are great, and the Republicans will have another shot at this seat in a very short period of time. It never ends!" he tweeted.
While the Alabama secretary of state reported Jones won with 49.92 percent of the vote over Moore's 48.38 percent of the vote, Moore said he isn't conceding yet, saying he now wants a recount.
