Up early Monday morning stewing over Republicans’ loss in the Alabama special election, President Donald Trump tried to return focus to the five special elections Republicans won since November 2016.
Trump issued a “reminder” that the GOP is “5-0 in Congressional Races this year,” an apparent reference to the House races Republicans successfully defended after Trump named members to his cabinet. Republican Roy Moore, a staunchly conservative former judge who was accused of sexual misconduct, was defeated by Democrat Doug Jones in the race to fill the Senate seat vacated by Attorney General Jeff Sessions.
Remember, Republicans are 5-0 in Congressional Races this year. The media refuses to mention this. I said Gillespie and Moore would lose (for very different reasons), and they did. I also predicted “I” would win. Republicans will do well in 2018, very well! @foxandfriends
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 18, 2017
Though Trump now says that he predicted GOP Virginia gubernatorial candidate Ed Gillespie and Moore would lose, he endorsed both candidates who went on to lose key races in 2017.
The President has been uncharacteristically quiet in the wake of Republicans’ stunning loss in Alabama. Typically moved to fire off angry tweets in the face of defeat, Trump has only published a few items about the race since Moore lost last week. He distanced himself from Moore’s loss and blamed others for the way the race turned out, but aides were reportedly surprised at Trump’s relative calm last week.