Despite endorsing the alleged child molester, U.S. President Donald Trump knew Roy Moore would lose the senate election in Alabama.
“The reason I originally endorsed Luther Strange (and his numbers went up mightily), is that I said Roy Moore will not be able to win the General Election. I was right! Roy worked hard but the deck was stacked against him!” Trump tweeted Wednesday morning.
It was a difficult week for the president who saw renewed allegations of sexual misconduct in the headlines, backlash over a “vile” tweet, and a major loss in Alabama that could jeopardize Republican plans to pass major legislation.
Here’s what else you missed in the world of Donald J. Trump.
Dec. 14: Omarosa says she saw things that made her ‘uncomfortable’
Was Omarosa Manigault Newman, a former contestant on The Apprentice, fired from her position in the White House or did she resign?
The former reality TV star called reports that she made a scene while being escorted from the White House grounds this week “100 per cent false” and maintains that she resigned after a conversation with White House chief of staff John Kelly.
WATCH: Omarosa says she observed ‘uncomfortable’ situations during year in White House
“As the only African-American woman in this White House, as a senior staff and assistant to the president, I have seen things that have made me uncomfortable, that have upset me, that have affected me deeply and emotionally, that has affected my community and my people,” Omarosa said during an interview with ABC’s Good Morning America.
Omarosa denied reports that she tried to enter the White House residence to see Trump, calling those reports “ridiculous” and “absurd.” The Associated Press reported that her refusal to defend the administration, especially in the aftermath of Charlottesville, had been a point of contention.
READ MORE: Roy Moore says ‘abortion, sodomy’ has taken place of ‘life, liberty’ in U.S.
And just as Trump says U.S. is “days away” from passing the GOP tax bill, Sen. Marco Rubio, a Republican from Florida, said he will not support the latest version of the bill if the legislation doesn’t make the child tax credit more generous. The White House said it would continue to work with Rubio as Republicans prepare to bring the revised tax bill to the floor for a vote next week.
WATCH: FCC votes to repeal Obama-era net neutrality rules
Also on Thursday, the FFC ended Obama-era net neutrality rules, as Trump vowed to reduce “unnecessary” federal regulations. The rules were meant to ensure equal access to the internet, and multiple state lawyers said they’d be launching a lawsuit against the ruling.
Dec. 13: Trump bets big on Roy Moore and loses
Democrat Doug Jones defeated Republican Roy Moore – who faced allegations of sexually assaulting teenage girls — in a close Senate election in Alabama, offering Trump a stinging defeat.
“Congratulations to Doug Jones on a hard fought victory. The write-in votes played a very big factor, but a win is a win. The people of Alabama are great, and the Republicans will have another shot at this seat in a very short period of time. It never ends!” Trump tweeted.
READ MORE: As Trump called to congratulate senator-elect Doug Jones, GOP hopes for wake-up
Ruby-red Alabama had not elected a Democrat to the U.S. Senate in 25 years and the president also lost a key seat in the Senate, narrowing the margin to 51-49. Among some of the key takeaways from the Alabama election that could spell trouble for Republicans moving forward are:
- African-American voters made up nearly 30 per cent of all voters and Jones won their vote 96 per cent to 4 per cent.
- Women with children voted for Jones 66 per cent to Moore’s 32 per cent.
- Jones won the moderate vote 74 per cent to Moore’s meagre 25 per cent.
- Exit polls showed that in the deeply conservative state of Alabama Trump’s approval rating in was just 48 per cent.
WATCH: Doug Jones describes ‘nice, pleasant’ phone call with Donald Trump
Dec. 12: Trump attacks Kirsten Gillibrand
As Democratic senators called for the president to resign over sexual assault allegations. Trump lashed out at New York Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand in a sexually suggestive tweet Tuesday morning
Trump insinuated that Gillibrand, who is widely seen as a Democratic presidential contender in 2020, “would do anything” for money, which elicited a swift response from Liberals and Conservatives alike.
READ MORE: Donald Trump accused of ‘slut-shaming’ after tweet attacking Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand
“Lightweight Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, a total flunky for Chuck Schumer and someone who would come to my office “begging” for campaign contributions not so long ago (and would do anything for them), is now in the ring fighting against Trump. Very disloyal to Bill & Crooked-USED!” Trump tweeted.
Gillibrand said Trump’s tweet was a “sexist smear” designed to intimidate her.
“It’s part of the president’s effort at name calling and it’s not going to silence me,” the senator told reporters.
READ MORE: Women who accuse Donald Trump of sexual misconduct deserve to be heard, says Nikki Haley
Trump, meanwhile, denied that he knew or had met the women who have accused him of sexual misconduct despite photographic and video evidence to the contrary.
WATCH: ‘I will not be silent’, Kirsten Gillibrand responds to Trump attack
And while world leaders gathered for a global climate summit in Paris, the U.S. president became the unwitting villain. From French President Emmanuel Macron to billionaire Bill Gates, leaders and prominent Americans assailed Trump for rejecting the Paris climate accord.
Dec. 11: Three women detail sexual allegations against Trump
Amid the seemingly daily revelations of sexual misconduct by prominent men in business, media, politics, sports and the entertainment world, three women who have previously accused Trump of sexual misconduct shared their stories on NBC’s Megyn Kelly Today and urged Congress to investigate Trump’s behaviour.
“We are private citizens and for us to put ourselves out there, to try to show America who this man is, and especially how he views women, for them to say, ‘Meh, we don’t care,’ it hurt,” Holvey said, describing the pain the women felt after Trump’s victory.
“The environment’s different; let’s try again,” Holvey said referring to the #MeToo movement.
WATCH: 3 Trump accusers share sexual harassment claims as Democratic senators call for resignation
The three women are among the nearly 20 women who have come forward accusing Trump of everything from groping to unwanted kissing.
WATCH: Women call for investigation into sexual misconduct allegations of President Trump
The president has repeatedly denied the allegations and on Monday White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders told reporters there are eyewitnesses who can disprove their allegations.
READ MORE: Here are the sexual misconduct allegations facing the Republican candidate
“He feels strongly that a mere allegation shouldn’t determine the course. And in this case, the president has denied any of these allegations,” Sanders said. “Several reports have shown those eyewitnesses also back up the president’s claim in this process and again the American people knew this and voted for the president.”
It’s unclear what reports she is referring to. The White House has pointed to two stories by The New York Post and New York Daily News, which some have questioned, but have not elaborated on the other allegations.
Comments