President Donald Trump doubled down on his support
for embattled Alabama Republican Senate candidate Roy Moore at a Florida
rally Friday night, telling supporters to "get out and vote for Roy
Moore."
Many had speculated that the rally in
Pensacola, which is near the Alabama border and feeds television
markets in the state, was a backdoor way for the president to give
Moore's campaign a boost without actually setting foot in the state.
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. He has denied the allegations.
Trump did not mention Moore for the first 40 minutes of
his address, which lasted approximately 80 minutes. Finally, appearing
to acknowledge a Moore supporter in front of the stage, the president
asked how many members of the crowd were from Alabama.
"We cannot afford ... to lose a seat in the very, very
close United States Senate," Trump said. "We need somebody in that
Senate seat who will vote for our 'Make America Great Again' agenda … So
get out and vote for Roy Moore. Do it. Do it."
Trump reiterated past criticisms of Moore's Democratic opponent, Doug Jones.
"We can’t afford to have a liberal Democrat who is
completely controlled by Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer," the president
said. "His name is Jones and he’s their total puppet and everybody knows
it."
The president also referenced one of Moore's accusers,
Beverly Young Nelson, who admitted Friday that she had written part of
an inscription in her yearbook that she originally attributed to Moore
in its entirety.
ROY MOORE ACCUSER ADMITS SHE WROTE PART OF YEARBOOK INSCRIPTION ATTRIBUTED TO HIM
"So did you see what happened today?" Trump asked. "You
know, the yearbook? Did you see that? There was a little mistake made,
She started writing things in the yearbook."
Trump then took a shot at Nelson's lawyer, Gloria Allred, saying, "Anytime you see her, you know something's gone wrong."
White House spokesman Raj Shah told reporters onboard
Air Force One that the president and White House have made clear they
find the allegations "troubling and concerning" and believe they "should
be taken seriously." But he said Moore has maintained his innocence,
and that should be taken into account as well.
"Ultimately his endorsement is about the issues," said
Shah. "He doesn't want to see Alabama elect a Nancy Pelosi/Chuck Schumer
puppet who's going to be wrong on the issues and not support the
agenda," he said, referring to top congressional Democrats Nancy Pelosi
and Chuck Schumer.
Top Republicans, including House Speaker Paul Ryan and
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, had called on Moore to step
aside after the allegations were made public.
During the rally, Trump also crowed about stock market
gains and other upbeat economic indicators. He said he was confident
he'd win re-election in 2020, despite his dismal approval rating.
"I think it's going to be very hard for somebody to
beat us in a few years," Trump said, pointing to the impact on 401(k)
investments. "All you have to say is: With us it goes up, with them it
goes down. And that's the end of the election, right?"
But the president also touched on some darker themes, telling the audience, "It's being proven we have a rigged system."
"This is a sick system from the inside," Trump said.
"And, you know, there is no country like our country but we have a lot
of sickness in some of our institutions."
Trump also took his now-customary shots at the news
media, referring to suspended ABC News correspondent Brian Ross as a
"fraudster" and mocking CNN for an incorrect report earlier in the day
on his campaign's contacts with Wikileaks.
CNN BOTCHES DATES, INACCURATELY REPORTS TRUMP CAMPAIGN HAD WIKILEAKS SNEAK PEAK
"They apologized! Thank you CNN!" Trump cried in mock
gratitude. "Thank you so much! You should have been apologizing for the
last two years."
The crowd at the Pensacola Bay Center included some Alabama voters who traveled across the border for the rally.
"These are lies, just malicious lies," said John
Maddalena, head of the south Alabama chapter of "Bikers for Trump."
Maddalena and his wife, Alisha, rode to the Trump rally from their home
near Montgomery, Ala.
Alisha described herself as a "strong woman" who still doesn't believe Moore's accusers.
"You let him sit there and pass judgment on people" as a
jurist "for 40 years and don't say anything?" she asked. "You wait
until he's running for the Senate to come up with this? That makes you
suspicious."