President Donald Trump on Friday offered another full-throated endorsement for Republican Roy Moore, the ex-Alabama judge hoping to win a Senate seat Tuesday amid teen sexual abuse accusations.
"VOTE ROY MOORE!" Trump tweeted hours before he went to Pensacola, Florida — which sits just a short trip from Alabama — for a rally. The president hit Democratic candidate Doug Jones, accusing him of being a "puppet" of his party's congressional leaders and "bad on" crime, abortion, immigration, veterans' issues, gun rights and the military.
Moore later piled on, tweeting that "we can't Make America Great Again with another radical liberal in the Senate."
CNBC could not immediately reach the Jones campaign for comment on the tweets.
The special election for the Alabama Senate seat vacated by Attorney General Jeff Sessions has figured prominently both in the national discussion about sexual harassment and assault and the battle over control of Congress next year. The abuse allegations against Moore and GOP Senate leaders' lack of support for him have given Democrats hope about winning the seat in Tuesday's election, despite Alabama's deeply Republican track record.
Jones is hardly a "radical liberal" as Moore describes him — simply by political circumstances, he would have to become one of the more moderate members of the Democratic caucus. Jones has cast himself as a pro-Second Amendment candidate who seeks only small changes to American gun laws.
He also supports moderate corporate tax cuts but may not back the overall tax bill Republicans are pushing through Congress currently. Republicans are working quickly to pass their tax plan in the coming weeks, partly because a Jones win would rob them of a critical vote in the Senate.
Among the accusations against Moore, a woman says he initiated a sexual relationship with her when she was 14 and he was in his 30s decades ago. Another woman accuses him of sexually assaulting her when she was 16.
Moore has denied the accusations against him.
Trump endorsed Moore on Monday in a personal phone call. The Republican National Committee is also giving money to his campaign, according to multiple reports.
Moore alienated Republican Senate leadership even before women started accusing him of sexual misconduct. In the GOP Senate primary, he frequently slammed Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, then defeated the Republican leader's preferred candidate, Sen. Luther Strange, R-Ala.
Other Moore comments have also sparked concerns from Republicans.
In the past, Moore has said Muslims should not serve in Congress and that "homosexual conduct" should be illegal.
Other divisive Moore remarks from months ago have resurfaced in recent news reports. In an August interview with The Guardian, he said the U.S. could be the "focus of evil" in the world because it promotes same-sex marriage.
When the interviewer said the comment sounded like something Russian President Vladimir Putin would say, Moore added that maybe Putin is "more akin to me than I know."
In September, he also said America was last "great" when "families were united — even though we had slavery — they cared for one another," according to The Los Angeles Times.