US President Donald Trump appeared to throw his support behind Roy Moore for a seat in the Senate despite the sexual assault allegations against him and Twitter tore him apart over it.

The Alabama Republican Senate candidate has been accused by several women of sexual misconduct and assault when he was in his 30s and they were just teenagers. Moore, who is running against Democrat Doug Jones, has continued to deny the allegations.

Before boarding Air Force One with his family on Tuesday (21 November), Trump told reporters that we "don't need a liberal person in there, a Democrat - Jones." Trump also pointed to Moore's denial of the allegations.

"[Moore] denies it. He totally denies it," the president said. "I mean, If you look at what is really going on and you look at all the things that have happened the last 48 hours, he totally denies it. He says it didn't happen. You know, you have to listen to him also. You're talking about...40 years ago."

Trump added that Jones' record is "terrible on crime, it's terrible on the border, it's terrible on the military". The president also did not rule out campaigning with Moore, saying, "I'll be letting you know this week."

The president's remarks come as numerous Republicans in Washington have called on Moore to step aside in the upcoming race. Moore, however, has refused to exit the Senate despite the backlash.

Trump's statements also mark a significant shift from two weeks ago when White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said: "The president also believes that if these allegations are true, Judge Moore will do the right thing and step aside."

During an earlier news conference, Trump was asked if he had a "message to women in this pivotal moment on sexual assault" and he responded: "Women are very special. I think it's a very special time, a lot of things are coming out, and I think that's good for our society and I think it's very, very good for women, and I'm very happy a lot of these things are coming out. I'm very happy it's being exposed."

donald trump
Trump appeared to back Roy Moore despite the sexual misconduct allegations and Twitter furiously blasted him for it. Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

Trump has also been accused of sexual assault and has had a history of controversial statements about women. In the infamous Access Hollywood tape that came out during the presidential election last year, Trump was reportedly heard bragging about groping and kissing without their consent.

Meanwhile, Twitter furiously lambasted the president for appearing to side with Moore despite the serious allegations.

"Trump has lost every ounce of decency," one person tweeted.

"With Roy Moore and Putin, Trump has a special club for those who just deny the bad things they've done. That's a club he can be President of," Andy Slavitt tweeted.

One Twitter user pointed out: "To be clear, Trump today said Doug Jones, a career prosecutor who convicted the racist monsters who murdered four little young girls, is "soft on crime" and that Roy Moore, who's accused of molesting children and sexually assaulting teenagers is better. The Leader of the @GOP."

Others slammed the president as a "hypocrite" after tweeting about Al Franken but "refusing" to call out Moore over the allegations.

"Nothing surprises me anymore about this guy," one user tweeted.