WASHINGTON, DC, United States (AFP) — US President Donald Trump yesterday officially endorsed the candidacy of embattled Republican Senate hopeful Roy Moore, who has been accused of sexual assault by multiple women when they were teenagers, including one who was 14 at the time.

Trump had previously characterised the allegations against Moore as “very troubling” before changing tack and warning voters in the 70-year-old Christian conservative’s home state of Alabama that a victory for his Democratic rival Doug Jones “would be a disaster”!

Yesterday, the White House said Trump had called Moore to offer his formal backing ahead of the December 12 special election in Alabama, a right-leaning southern state.

“The president had a positive call with Judge Roy Moore during which they discussed the state of the Alabama Senate race and the president endorsed Judge Moore’s campaign,” said principal deputy press secretary Raj Shah.

Moore’s campaign team said he was honoured to have received the president’s endorsement, in a call placed from on board Air Force One.

“President Trump knows that the future of his conservative agenda in Congress hinges on this election,” Moore was quoted as saying.

“I look forward to fighting alongside the president to strengthen our military, secure our border, protect our gun rights, defend the sanctity of life, and confirm conservative judges to courts around this nation.”

In spite of a history of controversy stemming from his tenure on Alabama’s supreme court, Moore had been a strong favourite to win election before the allegations against him were first reported by The Washington Post.

Most of the reported allegations relate to when Moore was a prosecutor in his mid-30s and sought to pursue relationships with teenage girls.

The Alabama race, which is being held to replace Jeff Sessions, who was named US attorney general, has national repercussions because Republicans hold a slim 52-48 majority in the Senate. A win for Jones would make it 51-49.

Earlier yesterday, Trump cited Democrats’ opposition to his legislative agenda — and Moore’s potentially decisive Senate vote on everything from immigration to abortion — as reasons to support him.

“Democrats’ refusal to give even one vote for massive tax cuts is why we need Republican Roy Moore to win in Alabama,” Trump tweeted.

“We need his vote on stopping crime, illegal immigration, Border Wall, Military, Pro Life, VA, Judges 2nd Amendment and more. No to Jones, a Pelosi/Schumer Puppet!”