Trump says US ‘cannot afford’ Roy Moore loss in Alabama

PENSACOLA, Florida (AP) — President Donald Trump on Friday urged voters to elect a Republican Senate candidate in Alabama who has been dogged by allegations of sexual misconduct, warning that America “cannot afford” to have a Democrat win the hard-fought campaign instead.

Trump gave a boost to the campaign of GOP Senate candidate Roy Moore during a raucous campaign rally in the Florida panhandle, near the state line with Alabama.

“Get out and vote for Roy Moore. Do it. Do it,” Trump told the crowd.

“We cannot afford, the future of this country cannot afford to lose the seat,” Trump said, referring to his party’s razor-thin 52-48 advantage in that chamber of Congress.

Trump said Moore’s opponent, Doug Jones, is a “liberal Democrat” who would be “completely controlled” by Democratic leaders Nancy Pelosi in the House and Chuck Schumer in the Senate.

“He’s their total puppet and everybody knows it,” Trump said during a wide-ranging speech that included riffs on the U.S. immigration system and the nation’s economic performance since he took office. He touched briefly on the closely watched Senate race that will be decided when voters in next-door Alabama go to the polls Tuesday.

“We need somebody in that Senate seat who will vote for our Make America Great Again agenda, which involves tough on crime, strong on borders, strong on immigration,” Trump continued. As Trump spoke about Moore, Moore tweeted Trump’s comments to his own followers.

Trump also taunted Beverly Nelson, one of Moore’s accusers, who had presented a yearbook inscription by Moore as a key piece of evidence that the candidate knew his accuser. Nelson said Friday she had added a notation marking the date and place where it was signed. “Did you see what happened today? You know, the yearbook? Did you see that? There was a little mistake made,” Trump said, shifting to a sing-songy voice. “She started writing things in the yearbook.”

Trump then mentioned Nelson’s lawyer, Gloria Allred, and said, “Anytime you see her, you know something’s gone wrong.”

Trump had reinforced his support for Moore earlier Friday by tweeting a similar message. Moore, who is 70, has been dogged by multiple allegations of sexual misconduct, including accusations that he molested two teenage girls and pursued romantic relationships with several others while in his 30s.