{"id":54132,"date":"2017-12-09T04:35:55","date_gmt":"2017-12-09T04:35:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.biphoo.com\/bipnews\/?p=54132"},"modified":"2017-12-09T04:35:55","modified_gmt":"2017-12-09T04:35:55","slug":"trump-rallies-a-florida-crowd-in-support-of-an-alabama-senate-candidate","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.biphoo.com\/bipnews\/news\/trump-rallies-a-florida-crowd-in-support-of-an-alabama-senate-candidate.html","title":{"rendered":"Trump Rallies a Florida Crowd in Support of an Alabama Senate Candidate"},"content":{"rendered":"

Trump Rallies a Florida Crowd in Support of an Alabama Senate Candidate<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n

President Trump\u2019s crowd was here in Florida on Friday night, but his audience was in Alabama.<\/span><\/p>\n

Just four days before a crucial special election for a Senate seat in Alabama, Mr. Trump again offered his unequivocal backing for the Republican nominee, Roy S. Moore, a candidate dogged by accusations from women, including one who was 14 at the time, that he had assaulted them or had inappropriate contact with them decades ago.<\/span><\/p>\n

Mr. Trump was about 45 minutes into his speech, though, before he even mentioned Mr. Moore. But when prompted to do so by a man in the crowd, the president quickly obliged.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThis guy\u2019s screaming, \u2018We want Roy Moore,\u2019\u201d Mr. Trump said. \u201cHe\u2019s right. How many people here are from the great state of Alabama?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Many cheered.<\/span><\/p>\n

The president also highlighted a discrepancy in the story of one Mr. Moore\u2019s accusers and said voters should be wary of her lawyer, Gloria Allred.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe future of this country cannot afford to lose a seat in the very, very close United States Senate,\u201d Mr. Trump said.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe can\u2019t afford to have a liberal Democrat who is completely controlled by Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer. His name is Jones and he\u2019s their total puppet,\u201d a reference to Mr. Moore\u2019s Democratic opponent, Doug Jones.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe need somebody in that Senate seat who will vote for our Make America Great Again agenda,\u201d the president said, adding, \u201cSo get out and vote for Roy Moore.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Mr. Trump was less than 30 miles from the border with Alabama, which shares media markets and many conservative cultural affinities with its neighbor.<\/span><\/p>\n

His address was a rhetorical journey from elation about the economy to condemnation of a familiar group of targets.<\/span><\/p>\n

Mr. Trump largely reprised the themes that have consistently brought cheers from his supporters: railing against multinational trade deals, illegal immigration, criminal gangs, the news media, Democrats and the performance of Arnold Schwarzenegger as host of \u201cThe New Celebrity Apprentice.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

But he also emphasized strong economic news, including a roaring stock market, rising values of retirement accounts and increasing consumer confidence. \u201cIt\u2019s all about psychology to an extent,\u201d Mr. Trump said, \u201cand that\u2019s what creates greatness.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

He waded further into cultural matters by cheering the signs in the arena that said Merry Christmas.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cLet me begin by wishing each and every one of you a very Merry Christmas,\u201d Mr. Trump said, adding, \u201cI can think of no better Christmas present for the American people than giving you a massive tax cut.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

While the event was part of the president\u2019s political operation, it was the campaign in Alabama that was the focus of attention. And Mr. Moore found plenty of support among the president\u2019s backers.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m not from Alabama, but if I were, I would be voting for Roy Moore,\u201d said David Vail of Baker, Fla. \u201cHe\u2019s a God-fearing man, a good Christian man.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Mr. Moore has denied the accusations against him, and the president has cited those denials as a justification for his endorsement, saying that Mr. Moore would be better than having \u201ca liberal\u201d in the Senate, a reference to Mr. Jones.<\/span><\/p>\n

By endorsing Mr. Moore on Monday, staking his credibility on Mr. Moore\u2019s denials, Mr. Trump is taking a position decidedly at odds with many in his party in the growing debate over sexual harassment in the worlds of politics, news media and entertainment, choosing to support a man who stands accused rather than the women who say he abused them.<\/span><\/p>\n

Mr. Trump has already made a campaign appearance in the Alabama Senate race, but it was not for Mr. Moore.<\/span><\/p>\n

At a rally in September in Huntsville, the president implored Republican primary voters to support Senator Luther Strange, Mr. Moore\u2019s opponent. But even as he did, he expressed misgivings.<\/span><\/p>\n

If Mr. Strange loses, Mr. Trump mused aloud, adopting the dramatic tone of a television newscaster, it will be portrayed as \u201ca total embarrassment\u201d for him. The state\u2019s voters rejected Mr. Strange.<\/span><\/p>\n

Here in Pensacola, even with steady rain and temperatures in the 30s, the president had an approving crowd in an arena where he made two campaign appearances in 2016.<\/span><\/p>\n

His rally was the lead story in The Pensacola News Journal for two days straight, and the local congressman, Representative Matt Gaetz, a Republican, gave the president a boisterous welcome.<\/span><\/p>\n

Mr. Trump ran up strong numbers in Florida\u2019s Panhandle \u2014 he won Escambia County here by 20 points \u2014 and that helped propel his victory in the state in 2016, and his popularity in Alabama is as robust as any state in the country.<\/span><\/p>\n

Mr. Trump\u2019s decision to not travel to Alabama was not a calculated one, said Raj Shah, a White House spokesman.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s not that he\u2019s not going to Alabama,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s that he is going to Pensacola. Pensacola is Trump country. This is a part of the state that voted overwhelmingly for the president in 2016. He\u2019ll be traveling back to Florida from time to time, and it\u2019s a key state.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Polling in the Alabama campaign indicated a relatively close race between Mr. Moore and Mr. Jones, but there are great divisions in the Republican Party over Mr. Moore\u2019s candidacy.<\/span><\/p>\n

After Mr. Trump\u2019s endorsement, the Republican National Committee reversed itself and decided to contribute to Mr. Moore\u2019s campaign. But the Republican Senatorial Campaign Committee has withheld any assistance. Most Republicans in the Senate have condemned Mr. Moore\u2019s candidacy, and several have said he would face an Ethics Committee investigation should he win.<\/span><\/p>\n

Senator Mitch McConnell, Republican of Kentucky and the majority leader, has drifted. He originally said that Mr. Moore should leave the race, but on Sunday, he said that he was \u201cgoing to let the people of Alabama make the call.\u201d Then on Tuesday, Mr. McConnell pointedly said that if Mr. Moore were elected, \u201che would immediately have an issue with the Ethics Committee.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Republicans are in a particularly delicate position. Mr. Trump was accused of harassment and assault from at least a dozen women on the record, and he was recorded on an \u201cAccess Hollywood\u201d tape boasting of sexual conquest and celebrity entitlement. He later apologized for his language on the tape, but he has consistently denied the women\u2019s allegations.<\/span><\/p>\n

Mr. Trump is scheduled to travel to Jackson, Miss., on Saturday for the opening of the state\u2019s civil rights museum, which has drawn protests. But he will again be a toe-touch and a TV screen away from Alabama voters.<\/span><\/p>\n

Source:-\u00a0https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2017\/12\/08\/us\/politics\/trump-moore-florida-alabama.html<\/span><\/p>\n

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