Trump: Vote for Moore key to future
President says GOP must keep Senate seat
PENSACOLA, Fla. — 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.
“We cannot afford, the future of this country cannot afford to lose the seat,” Trump said, referring to his party’s 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, which will be decided when voters in next-door Alabama go to the polls Tuesday.
Trump had reinforced his support for Moore earlier Friday by tweeting a similar message.
At the Florida rally, Trump touted his efforts to secure the homeland, telling his audience that his administration is “taking care of our citizens at home” by defeating the Islamic State abroad and expelling violent street gang members from the U.S.
Trump said the U.S. military is dealing the Islamic State “one brutal defeat after another.”
Trump also said he is expelling members of the violent street gang known as MS-13, which has its origins in Central America.