Trump Plays Blame Game: 'I Said Roy Moore Will Not Be Able To Win'

President Trump immediately moved to distance himself from Roy Moore after his defeat in the Alabama Senate special election, tweeting Wednesday morning that he had been right to endorse Luther Strange in the primary and always knew Moore would lose.

“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,” said Trump. “I was right! Roy worked hard but the deck was stacked against him!”

https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/940904649728708609

Also Read: Trump Reluctantly Congratulates Senator-Elect Doug Jones on His 'Hard Fought Victory'

Trump did campaign hard for the state’s sitting senator, “Big” Luther Strange, a placeholder appointed to fill the seat vacated by Jeff Sessions. The president visited the state and tweeted multiple times on his behalf. Trump’s support of Strange placed him at odds with Steve Bannon and the insurgent wing of his coalition.

After Moore was triumphant in the state primary, Trump changed his tune, going all in, recording a robocall and deleting old tweets expressing support for Strange.

Moore had been on his way to an easy victory in the deep-red state until the Washington Post published a story saying numerous women accused him of making sexual advances when they were underage in the 1970s, one of whom was 14 at the time. It was too much for the judge to overcome, and he was defeated by Democratic attorney Doug Jones.

On Tuesday evening, Trump issued a reluctant congratulations to Jones.

“Congratulations to Doug Jones on a hard fought victory,” said Trump. “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!”

https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/940795587733151744

Moore refused to immediately concede, though the margin of his defeat was too wide to trigger an automatic recount in the state.

7 Times Matt Lauer Came Under Fire, From Sexual Harassment Accusations to Ann Curry Ousting (Photos)

Matt Lauer was terminated by NBC News on Wednesday after the company received a complaint of sexual harassment against him. But that's not the first time the longtime "Today" host found himself in hot water.
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Rumors of extramarital affairs dogged Lauer during his tenure on "Today," with tabloid reports linking him to other members of the show, including Natalie Morales. In 2010, NBC News finally responded to the allegations, calling them "completely inaccurate and unfounded" and "reckless and harmful to the Lauer family."
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Ann Curry was ousted from "Today" in 2012 as the show was losing ground to ABC's "Good Morning America," and after she issued a tearful on-air goodbye Lauer was widely viewed as the reason for her departure. New York Magazine later reported that the two had a tense off-camera relationship, and though Curry took the fall, Lauer was more to blame for the show's declining viewership.
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In 2012, Lauer was criticized for asking Anne Hathaway about an upskirt photo taken at the premiere of "Les Miserables" and attempting to make a joke of the situation by saying he'd "seen a lot of you lately." Hathaway was praised for how she handled the situation, gently shutting down the line of questioning by saying it was unfortunate that the culture "commodifies sexuality of unwilling participants."
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In 2006, Lauer's wife Annette Roque filed for divorce, alleging that she suffered "cruel and inhumane" treatment at the hands of her controlling husband. The two eventually reconciled and Roque, who was pregnant at the time, withdrew the paperwork, but the documents were obtained and published by the National Enquirer in 2014.
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Lauer's former co-anchor Katie Couric joked about his behavior in a 2012 interview with Andy Cohen. "He pinches me on the ass a lot," she said, calling it Lauer's most annoying habit. Video of the interview, which was handled jokingly at the time, was recirculated following his termination for a sexual misconduct allegation.
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Lauer moderated a pair of NBC News town halls during the 2016 presidential election, which were widely slammed for the way he questioned the two candidates. Lauer repeatedly asked Hillary Clinton about her email server and rushed past other, more concrete policy issues. Meanwhile, he was perceived to have gone much softer on Donald Trump, failing to press the then-nominee on repeated falsehoods.
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Lauer was finally axed by NBC News and removed from "Today" in 2017, after the company received a "detailed complaint" from a colleague accusing him of inappropriate sexual behavior.
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Morning show host was axed following a sexual misconduct allegation by an NBC News colleague

Matt Lauer was terminated by NBC News on Wednesday after the company received a complaint of sexual harassment against him. But that's not the first time the longtime "Today" host found himself in hot water.

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7 Times Matt Lauer Came Under Fire, From Sexual Harassment Accusations to Ann Curry Ousting (Photos)

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