President Trump left open the possibility of campaigning for Roy Moore in Alabama despite allegations of sexual misconduct against the conservative judge.
Trump told reporters before leaving for Mar-a-Lago on Tuesday that he would announce next week whether he will appear on the campaign trail with Moore ahead of the Senate election Dec. 12.
“I’ll be letting you know next week,” Trump said when asked if he might campaign with Moore.
Trump indicated he would prefer Moore over Democrat Doug Jones so he can more easily pass his agenda through the Senate. He didn’t explicitly endorse Moore, but made it clear he doesn’t want Jones.
“We don’t need a liberal Democrat in that seat,” the president told reporters.
Nine women have accused Moore of pursuing them when they were teenagers and he was in his 30s. One woman said Moore initiative sexual contact with her when she was 14, and another said the conservative judge sexually assaulted her when she was 16.
Moore has denied the allegations and rejected calls from top Republicans for him to exit the Senate race.
That has prompted Senate Republicans to say they would immediately seek to expel Moore from the Senate if he wins his race next month, although the latest polls have Jones ahead of Moore.
