Report: Trump Faults Bannon for Urging Him to Back Moore
BLAME GAME
The president reportedly accused his former chief strategist of selling him a “bill of goods” on Moore.
Kevin Lamarque/Reuters
President Trump spent much of the morning after Republican Senate candidate Roy Moore’s devastating election loss searching for someone to blame and asking how the defeat would reflect on him, The Washington Post reports. Citing 20 senior officials, aides, lawmakers, and outsider advisers and confidants, the report said Trump’s behind-the-scenes reaction to Moore’s loss on Wednesday morning was nowhere near as gracious as his Tuesday night congratulatory tweet after Democrat Doug Jones won Alabama’s Senate race. After seeing how embarrassing Moore’s loss appeared in television reports, Trump reportedly took the defeat personally before accusing his former chief strategist, Steve Bannon, of selling him a “bill of goods” on Moore. Trump had repeatedly endorsed Moore ahead of the election, even as members of Moore’s own party distanced themselves from him over a slew of sexual-misconduct allegations. Trump also blamed Moore for being a poor candidate and faulted Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell for trying to push Moore out of the race, according to the report.
