Trump campaigned for Republican who lost in Pennsylvania, but is taking credit for Democrat's win

Donald Trump and Rick Saccone.
(Image credit: Jeff Swensen/Getty Images)

Yes, Republican congressional candidate Rick Saccone lost in a district that President Trump won by 20 points, and sure, Trump and his eldest son both stumped for him in the days leading up to Tuesday's special election, but none of that matters when the Democrat and Trump are basically doppelgängers.

At least that's the gist of what Trump said during a private fundraiser Wednesday night in Missouri for U.S. Senate candidate Josh Hawley. In a tape obtained by The Atlantic, Trump is heard discussing Pennsylvania's 18th congressional district race, which Democrat Conor Lamb won by a razor-thin margin. Trump told donors that Lamb, 33, ran a "pretty smart race, actually," then took credit for his win.

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Catherine Garcia, The Week US

Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.