President Donald Trump on Wednesday afternoon lamented that some Republicans were “happy” that Republican Roy Moore, who faced several sexual misconduct allegations, lost the Alabama Senate race.
“We wish we would have gotten the seat. A lot of Republicans feel differently. They’re very happy with the way it turned out,” Trump told reporters at the White House. “But I would have — as the leader of the party, I would have liked to have had the seat. I want to endorse the people that are running.”
Though most Republicans never fully yanked their support for Moore, a handful of GOP lawmakers opposed him outright. Sen. Jeff Flake (R-AZ) donated to Democrat Doug Jones’ campaign and celebrated Jones’ win Tuesday night. Sen. Bob Corker (R-TN), a frequent critic of Trump, said Wednesday morning that he was “happy” with Jones’ win. Both senators are not running for re-election.
The President told reporters Wednesday that Moore’s loss will not affect his agenda but also stressed that Republican gains in 2018 would be helpful.
“I will say, we have to get more senators and more congressmen that are Republicans elected in ’18. And then you’ll see a lot more of what we’re doing right now,” he said.