Trump Expected to Revisit the Roy Moore Fiasco Very Soon
With the GOP establishment throwing Roy Moore under the bus for his litany of sexual misconduct allegations, everybody wants to know whether President Donald Trump will do the same. What Trump does, or doesn’t do, could be the key decider for a race that could go down to the wire.
So far, President Trump has been mum on the issue. “I have to get back into the country to see what’s happening,” he said on Saturday, during his flight to Vietnam, when asked if his opinion on Roy Moore had shifted. (Source: “Donald Trump Will Revisit Roy Moore Support After Returning To Washington D.C.,” Breitbart, November 14, 2017.)
Previously, Trump had simply qualified the issue by saying that judge Moore would, “do the right thing.”
At least for now, Trump is keeping his cards close to his chest. Given the balancing act he has to perform here, it’s easy to see why.
One key reason traces back to former chief White House strategist Steve Bannon. The Breitbart News head has publicly backed Roy Moore’s U.S. Senate run from the beginning, and maintains support today. Breitbart conservatives are the key demographic that propelled Donald Trump into the White House in 2016.
An outright rejection of Moore will cause significant damage to his primary base of support—a support counterweight he can ill-afford to lose given his enemies on Capitol Hill.
Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images
Will Trump Thumb His Nose at the Establishment by Backing Moore?
If there’s anything we’ve learned about Trump since his presidency, it’s his willingness to go against the grain. Whether it be pulling out from the Paris Accord or declaring “both sides” were to blame in Charlottesville, Virginia, Trump isn’t afraid of the media backlash that follows many of his decisions. Backing Roy Moore might fit his modus operandi.
Why? Because Moore stands against the same establishment that regularly subverts Trump. It’s a safe bet that Trump sympathizes with Moore to some degree, having been attacked during the 2016 presidential election with many of the same allegations Moore faces now. They’ve even been similarly attacked by prominent liberal attorney, Gloria Allred.
Back in October 2016, former The Apprentice contestant Summer Zervos accused Trump of grabbing her breast and kissing her aggressively in 2007. In fact, several alternative media outlets claimed that Allred paid Zervos $500,000 to come out with the salacious details, although that claim is unproven.
The timing of the allegations, true or not, was designed to inflict maximum damage to his presidential campaign. Allred has vowed to pursue Trump all the way to the White House to obtain “justice.”
In an example of Allred’s relentless pursuit of Trump, she has issued subpoenas to Trump related to the Zervos case, not backing off even after his winning the presidency. The Trump legal team is still working through the case today.
(Source: “Trump Campaign Subpoenaed over S.A.A. #Trump #DonaldTrump #Breaking,” YouTube video, 8:48, October 15, 2017, posted by “Almutaz Bur News Network.”)
With Trump’s deep dislike for Gloria Allred well noted, we wonder if Trump won’t stick it to Allred by backing up Moore. Or, at the very least, giving Roy Moore open-ended support, should he provide further evidence to refute the allegations.
Outside of personal vendettas, Trump may sympathize with the degree Moore has been thrown under the bus by the GOP establishment, the same establishment that continuously undermined his presidential campaign and current MAGA agenda. Most notably, the subversion has come from the “Never Trump” wing of the GOP, and via squishy-centrist Republicans that conservatives belittle as “RINOs.”
Just yesterday, the Republican National Committee (RNC) announced it was withdrawing funding and field staff support from the Roy Moore campaign, essentially handing over the Senate race to Democratic candidate Doug Jones. This, despite Moore still outpolling Moore 49/43 post-scandal. (Source: “RNC withdraws party support for GOP nominee Roy Moore in Alabama,” The Washington Times, November 14, 2017.)
Obviously, it’s exceedingly rare for the RNC to abandon one of its own. The RNC didn’t even do this to Trump in 2016, even at the behest of its largest donors.
This “abandon ship” mentality has been echoed by prominent members of Congress. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell urged Moore to withdraw, as did House speaker Paul Ryan. Dozens of current GOP senators and House representatives have demanded Moore withdraw or have pulled previous endorsements.
Roy Moore is essentially a one-man island. He’s been left for dead by his own party, despite suspiciously timed allegations and unproven allegations, despite being a sure thing to win the U.S. Senate. It’s one thing to withdraw support for a lame duck, quite another to undermine a sure winner. It’s not something conservative constituents are likely to forget.
Our Verdict
Given all the dynamics at play, it will be interesting to see which way Donald Trump swings on the issue. Considering the seriousness of the allegations, Trump faces incredible media backlash, both left and right, if he doesn’t parrot the party line. The media will crucify Trump for any tacit support for more, especially given Trump’s own history of sexual misconduct allegations. The left will use any sympathy towards Moore as “evidence” of Trump’s own improprieties, however absurd that argument is.
However, Donald Trump has a well-documented history of “trusting his gut.” While the backlash would be deafening, it’s not anything he hasn’t heard or seen before.
There’s also personal vendettas involved. Not just with Gloria Allred, but with a Republican establishment that has used the same dirty tricks on him. In our minds, there’s absolutely no doubt Trump will sympathize with Roy Moore to a large degree. Steve Bannon’s continued support of Moore should also weigh heavily in his decision-making processes as well. Trump is not politically strong enough to absorb the abandonment of “Bannon Conservatives,” which risks happening if Trump distances himself too far from Moore.
Whether or not Trump opts to maintain some level of “open-ended” support remains to be seen. But his support, or lack thereof, could be the deciding factor of Moore’s campaign. Cut off from campaign funding, field support, and political allies, Trump’s next move will be all the difference to Moore’s campaign.
Undoubtedly, Trump is aware of the ramifications of his next move. A Jones win would reduce the Republican majority to just 51-49 in the Senate, making his job much tougher. It would mean Republicans could afford only one defection on legislation such as tax reform.
With very little of substance getting passed through Congress in his first 10 months in office, the idea of making things more difficult may not sit well with Trump—even if his establishment brethren don’t seem to mind.
Also Read:
FACT CHECK: Was Roy Moore Signature on Accuser’s High School Yearbook Forged?