Does Trump Support Roy Moore White House Suggests President Believes Alabama Candidate’s Accusers
The White House suggested Sunday that President Donald Trump sides with the accusers of Alabama Senate candidate Roy Moore, even though Trump has kept quiet for weeks about the sexual misconduct allegations against the Republican contender.
White House Legislative Affairs Director Marc Short said that if Trump still stood with Moore, he would be actively campaigning for him ahead of next month’s Alabama vote.
“If did not believe that the women’s accusations were credible, he would be down campaigning for Roy Moore,” Short told ABC News’ “This Week.”
“He has not done that. He has concerns about the accusationsYou should certainly be able to infer by the fact that he has not gone down to support Roy Moore his discomfort in doing so.”
But Short stopped short of finally clarifying Trump’s stance, and he repeated some of the same excuses Moore’s defenders have been pushing for weeks.
Short said Trump “has concerns about the accusations” because they are “38 years old,” which is not true for all of them.
“Roy Moore has been in public service for decades, and the accusations did not arise until a month before election,” Short said. “So we are concerned about several aspects of the story.”
Short would evaded repeated questions about whether Trump supports Moore, but he noted that the president has not endorsed Moore or done anything recently to boost his campaign. He said Alabama voters are the only ones to “know best what to do and the right decision to make here.”
More Trump Tests In Georgia
GOP runoffs in Georgias 6th and 10th Districts are posing another test to Trumps power as a kingmaker after his endorsed candidates in statewide races suffered staggering defeats in Mays primaries.
Trumps picks in both House races were the second-place finishers in May and were outraised and outspent by their runoff opponents.
In the 6th District race to replace Democratic Rep. Lucy McBath, Trump-endorsed former Ethics Commission Chairman Jake Evans, who got 23 percent of the vote in May to 43 percent for emergency room physician Rich McCormick, has sought to portray himself as the more solid conservative. McBath moved to the neighboring 7th District, where she won the Democratic nomination in May, after redistricting made the 6th District more friendly to Republicans. The 6th District race in November is rated Likely Republican by Inside Elections.
McCormick, whose $2.9 million in spending more than doubled his opponents, has been hammering Evans for a law review article published in 2015 in which he argued for reforms to account for racial disparities in the criminal justice system. The position aligns with arguments coming from the left in recent years, and McCormick has attacked it in mailers and other campaign materials as a woke manifesto.
Trumps Make America Great Again Again! PAC is the only outside group reporting spending during the runoff, with $10,000 in support of Jones.
Who Is Katie Britt Alabama Senate Favorite Pushes For Trump Endorsement
After Trump rescinded his endorsement for the Brooks, the Alabama Congressman’s odds plummeted and Britt’s rose.
In a statement announcing the withdrawal, Trump accused the Alabama congressman of going “woke” for saying that Republicans should put claims that the 2020 election result was a hoax behind them.
The Republican primary for Alabama is due to take place on May 24, where Britt will face both Brooks and Michael Durant, who has also seen his chances rise in recent days.
Britt, the former head of the Business Council of Alabama and one-time chief of staff to retiring Sen. Richard Shelby, now appears to be pushing for Donald Trump’s endorsement, which historically has carried a lot of weight in elections. In both 2018 and 2020, Trump-endorsed candidates won nearly every primary they competed in. Shelby is the current senior United States senator from Alabama.
In an interview with AL.com on Wednesday, she parroted Trump’s unsubstantiated claims that the 2020 election was stolen from him.
“I believe that there was fraud,” Britt said. “I think you have to have a forensic audit. You have to give people peace and clear confidence that their vote is going to matter the next time.”
She said she had spoken with Trump about her campaign strategy and her work ethic.
Mo Brooks was the initial favorite in the Alabama Senate race, but his odds have lowered since Trump withdrew his supportfrom 2-1 to 20-1.
You May Like: How Do I Get In Touch With President Trump
Related Video: Trump Rescinds Endorsement Of Senate Candidate Mo Brooks
Trump endorsed Brooks last year, rewarding the conservative firebrand who had been an ardent supporter of Trumps false 2020 election fraud claims. Brooks had whipped up a crowd of Trump supporters at the Jan. 6, 2021, rally that preceded the U.S. Capitol insurrection.
But Trump pulled that endorsement, citing Brooks languishing performance in the race. He also accused Brooks of going woke for saying at a Cullman rally that it was time to move on from litigating the 2020 presidential election and focus that energy on upcoming elections instead.
Britt led the primary field in the May primary, and has been seeking Trump’s support since he backed away from Brooks.
Trump’s glowing endorsement of Britt is a stark contrast to statements he made a year ago about her when he called her not in any way qualified” and describing her as an assistant to a RINO Senator, referring to Shelby as a Republican in name only.
Britt said Friday that she was thankful to have Trumps support. President Trump knows that Alabamians are sick and tired of failed, do-nothing career politicians, she said in a statement. Its time for the next generation of conservatives to step up and shake things up in Washington to save the country we know and love for our children and our childrens children.
Brooks tweeted Friday that the voters of Alabama will decide the race.
Trump has a mixed record in this years midterm elections.
Katie Britt Wins In Alabama As Trump Suffers More Losses In Georgia
Katie Britt, a former chief of staff to the retiring Senator Richard C. Shelby of Alabama, won the Republican nomination to replace her onetime boss on Tuesday, comfortably defeating a right-wing rival in a race that puts the 40-year-old on track to become the youngest woman in the United States Senate.
The Alabama Senate primary was the marquee contest on Tuesday as a handful of states across the South held primaries or runoffs, and a House race in Texas last month that went to a recount gave a moderate Democratic incumbent a victory.
The Senate race in Alabama took a number of twisting turns involving former President Donald J. Trump, who has made the 2022 primary season into a rolling referendum on his influence. Mr. Trump has carefully guarded his record in picking Republican primary winners, and his shifting allegiances in Alabama were among the best examples of his obsession with scoring wins and avoiding losses ahead of a 2024 presidential run that he continues to loudly tease.
But in Georgia, where Mr. Trump last month suffered his most serious political setbacks of 2022, the former president continued to rack up losses, as two congressional candidates he supported lost their runoffs on Tuesday.
Yet even in races where Mr. Trumps handpicked candidates have faltered this year, those who defeated them in primaries have rarely broken with the former president. Many have run as Trump allies even without his formal support.
Read Also: What Did President Trump Do
Donald Trump Says Fbi Conducted Search Of His Mar
Meanwhile, in Washington, D.C., Mayor Muriel Bowser won the Democratic nomination to serve another term, fending off a pair of challengers amid concerns over rising crime and homelessness.
But the Alabama Senate runoff had drawn particular attention because of the drama surrounding Trump’s endorsement and because the winner, who will face Democrat Will Boyd in November, is considered the overwhelmingly favorite in the Republican state.
Britt, 40, cast herself as part of a new generation of conservative leaders while disparaging Brooks, 68, as a career politician. If victorious in November, Britt will be the first woman elected to the U.S. Senate from Alabama and one of its youngest members. The states previous female senators had been appointed.
Alabama has spoken. We want new blood. We want fresh blood, she said at her victory party. We want someone who will fight for Christian conservative values, who will fight for the freedoms and liberties this nation was founded on and will fight for the American dream for the next generation and the next generation.
That argument seemed to resonate with some voters Tuesday.
Shes young. Shes smart, said 86-year-old Carolyn Bowman. Thats what we need in Congress.
The founding member of the conservative House Freedom Caucus, Brooks has a history of bucking party leadership and made his opposition to Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell a pillar of his campaign, embarking on a Fire McConnell Tour of town halls.
Rand Paul: Senator Kentucky
Republican Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul.
Trump announced his endorsement for Republican Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul on April 8, praising the longtime politician for his war against the swamp in Washington.
Rand Paul has done a fantastic job for our Country, and for the incredible people of Kentucky. He fights against the Swamp in Washington, the Radical Left Liberals, and especially the destructive RINOS, of which there are far too many, in Congress, Trump wrote in a statement. Rand will continue to stand up for our great AMERICA FIRST policies because he believes in stopping wasteful spending, defending our Second Amendment rights, and taking care of our Military and our Vets. I am proud to be working with Rand in our battle to Make America Great Again. He has my Complete and Total Endorsement for another term in the U.S. Senate. The Commonwealth of Kentucky has a true champion in Rand Paul.
Also Check: When Was Trump A Democrat
Where Is Trump He Promised To Back Alabama Senate Candidate But It Hasnt Happened
Former President Donald Trump has not yet followed through on his promise made almost two months ago to endorse a new candidate in Alabamas Republican Senate primary.
And based on the fact that he planned, then canceled, an Alabama rally in June just before the date for whats expected to be a runoff in the primary, indications are that he wont give his backing to a candidate.
In the March 23 announcement withdrawing his support for U.S. Rep. Mo Brooks, Trump concluded with this: I will be making a new endorsement in the near future!
It hasnt happened and the Republican primary is two weeks from today.
Related: No debates, but dispute arises in Alabama Senate race: Britt, Brooks battle over taxes
The GOP primary is essentially a three-candidate race at this point with Brooks, Katie Britt and Mike Durant — though there will be six candidates on the ballot.
Both Britt and Durant said they met with Trump before he un-endorsed Brooks. Neither meeting, though, has led to an endorsement so far.
Id certainly welcome President Trumps endorsement, Britt , former chief of staff for Sen. Richard Shelby and former president of the Business Council of Alabama, said in a statement to AL.com.
A Durant campaign spokesperson said in a statement to AL.com: Unlike Katie Boyd Britt, Mike Durant has campaigned from Day 1 on President Trumps accomplishments, agenda, and priorities.
Could a series of recent Alabama Senate polls move Trump to action?
Trump Endorses Britt In Alabama Republican Senate Race
The former president continued to walk back his past public statements about the former Senate aide.
Republican U.S. Senate candidate Katie Britt talks to supporters during her watch party on May 24, 2022, in Montgomery, Ala. | Butch Dill/AP Photo
06/10/2022 11:32 PM EDT
-
Link Copied
Donald Trump has endorsed Katie Britt in Alabamas Republican Senate race, calling her an Incredible Fighter and likely shoring up her already significant lead ahead of the June 21 runoff.
The former president made the announcement late Friday, just hours after two new polls were released showing Britt with a double-digit lead over Rep. Mo Brooks.
The decision deals a second major blow to Brooks, who Trump initially endorsed last year before pulling his support in March as Brooks campaign floundered. But Trump in the last couple weeks had not ruled out the possibility of re-endorsing Brooks, according to a person familiar with the presidents thinking, and was being urged by some Brooks allies to throw his support behind the MAGA candidate once again.
Mo has been wanting it back ever since, Trump said in a statement Friday, referring to when he rescinded his support, but I cannot give it to him! Katie Britt, on the other hand, is a fearless America First Warrior.
She is not in any way qualified and is certainly not what our country needs, Trump said at the time. For Mitch McConnell to be wasting money on her campaign is absolutely outrageous. Vote for Mo Brooks!
Read Also: How Old Are Biden And Trump
Who Faces Luria Spanberger And Bishop
Two primaries in Virginia and a runoff in Georgia will determine who carries the Republican banner in closely-watched general election races.
In Virginias 2nd District, state Sen. Jen Kiggans is considered the frontrunner in both fundraising and endorsements. She raised $1.3 million and had $489,000 in cash on hand on June 1, more than the other Republicans in the primary but far less than the $3.4 million held by Luria, who is unopposed on the Democratic side.
Kiggans has support from members including House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy and Republican Conference Chair Rep. Elise Stefanik. Retired Naval officer Jerome Bell has sought to position himself as the America First candidate in the race and Trump brought him on stage at Mar-a-Lago earlier this year, although he hasnt issued a formal endorsement in the race.
Though nearly 40 percent were undecided, a May poll of likely Republican primary voters from Basswood Research found Kiggans with nearly 44 percent support, far ahead of almost 9 percent for Tommy Altman and 8 percent for Bell. None of those polled said they would support the fourth candidate in the race, Andy Baan.
The GOP race in Virginia’s 7th District is more wide open. Six candidates and a lack of public polling has made it difficult to gauge if any candidate is clearly in the lead.
David Ross, who sits on the Spotsylvania County Board of Supervisors, and Gina Ciarcia, a teacher, round out the primary field.
Donald Trump Endorses Fearless America First Warrior Katie Britt In Alabama Senate Race
Alabama Republican Senate candidate Katie Britt greets her supporters and talks to the media at her election night campaign party in Montgomery. Britt will be in a run-off with Mo Brooks on June 21st. .Joe Songer
Former President Donald Trump has endorsed Katie Britt in Alabamas U.S. Senate race, calling Sen. Richard Shelbys former chief of staff a fearless America First Warrior in a statement Friday night.
Katie is an Incredible Fighter for the people of Alabama, Trump said. As President and CEO of Alabamas Business Council, Katie has been working hard to Grow Alabamas Economy, Create Jobs, and Restore the Great American Dream. She has the Total Support and Endorsement of Chairman Jimmy Parnell and the Alabama Farmers Federation.
Im thankful to have President Trumps endorsement and strong support, Britt said in a statement to AL.com.
Related: Mo Brooks on Katie Britt endorsement: Trump endorses the wrong people sometimes
President Trump knows that Alabamians are sick and tired of failed, do-nothing career politicians. Its time for the next generation of conservatives to step up and shake things up in Washington to save the country we know and love for our children and our childrens children. In the Senate, I will fight to defend Alabamas Christian conservative values, advance the America First agenda, and preserve the American Dream for generations to come.
Neither Britt nor Brooks could immediately be reached for comment.
Recommended Reading: Why Does Fox Support Trump
Primary Preview: Trump’s Presence Very Much Felt In Alabama Gop Senate Race
The runoff for the Republican nomination in Alabamaâs Senate election â which includes a Donald Trump-endorsed candidate facing a congressman who was once one of the ex-presidentâs staunchest supporters â highlights Tuesdayâs slate of primaries.
What You Need To Know
- Alabama and Georgia are holding primary runoffs Tuesday, while voters in Virginia and the District of Columbia head to the polls for the first time this midterm season
- Republicans Katie Britt and Mo Brooks are squaring off in the race to replace retiring Sen. Richard Shelby, an election in which Trumpâs presence is very much being felt
- There are four Republican and two Democratic House primaries in the Peach State, with the GOP race in the 10th District growing especially heated
- Virginia is the only state holding a regular primary Tuesday â two Democratic-controlled districts are considered âtoss-upsâ
Georgia also is holding runoffs, while voters in Virginia and the District of Columbia head to the polls for the first time this midterm season.
Here are the top races to watch Tuesday.
Trump Backs Katie Britt Against Mo Brooks In Alabama Senate Primary Runoff
Former President Trump announced late Friday that he would be backing Alabama Republican Senate candidate Katie Britt against Rep. Mo Brooks in the GOP primary runoff, less than three months after withdrawing his endorsement from the congressman.
In a statement issued through his Save America PAC, Trump doubled down on previous rhetoric he used when he withdrew his endorsement of Brooks several months ago, again calling him woke and lamenting his push to move on from the last presidential election, an election Trump has baselessly claimed was stolen from him.
He foolishly started listening to the wrong consultants and not to the people, and his 54-point lead evaporated overnight. Likewise, his words caused me to withdraw my Endorsement, and Mo has been wanting it back ever sincebut I cannot give it to him! Trump claimed.
Katie Strongly Supports our under siege Second Amendment, Stands Up for Parental Rights, and Will Fight for our Military, our Vets, and Election Integrity. Above all, Katie Britt will never let you down, he added.
Not long after Trump issued his endorsement, Britt touted it on Twitter.
Recommended Reading: How To Email President Donald Trump
