White House sources say Donald Trump is 'really upset' over Senate election loss for Roy Moore

President dashed off a conciliatory tweet that didn't hint at the level of his anger

He blames Steve Bannon, his former chief strategist who convinced him that Moore would win

But Democratic rival Doug Jones prevailed, aided by Moore's scandals

Nine different women had accused the Republican hardliner of sexual misconduct, including two who said he molested them when they were teens

Donald Trump fired off a conciliatory tweet Tuesday night shortly after Roy Moore, the candidate he endorsed in the Alabama Senate race, was knocked off his high horse by Democrat Doug Jones.

But the tone of his words didn't capture the rage that filled the White House residence, according to two sources with knowledge of the president's mood.

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'Congratulations to Doug Jones on a hard fought victory. The write-in votes played a very big factor, but a win is a win,' the president wrote.

'The people of Alabama are great, and the Republicans will have another shot at this seat in a very short period of time. It never ends!'

Trump staked his political reputation on the advice of Steve Bannon, his hard-right former chief strategist who campaigned hard for Moore despite sexual misconduct allegations from nine different women – including two who said he molested them when they were teen girls.

A senior administration official told DailyMail.com on Tuesday night that Bannon had guaranteed to the president that Moore would win in the deep-red state where Trump himself triumphed by 28 points last year.

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Trump fired off a conciliatory tweet Tuesday night that hid the depth of his anger

'He's really upset right now,' the official said of the president shortly after Trump's tweet hit the Internet.

A Republican strategist told DailyMail.com that Tuesday night 'will be Steve Bannon's political epitaph.'

'There's no way to see this other than a huge defeat for the GOP, and it's mostly because Bannon bamboozled the president with his Svengali pocket-watch,' the veteran of more than 10 congressional elections said.

'Mitch McConnell will take some lumps,' he added, 'but this was all Bannon's doing. And political capital at Breitbart has just fallen through the floor too.'

Breitbart News, a conservative website where Bannon is executive chairman, had pushed hard for Moore.

Democrat Doug Jones notched a stunning victory aided by scandal on Tuesday despite Trump's endorsement of his GOP opponent

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Republicans in Washington's establishment ranks were also quick to pin blame on Bannon.

'This is a brutal reminder that candidate quality matters regardless of where you are running,' Senate Leadership Fund president Steve Law said in a statement.

The group is a super PAC aligned with McConnell.

'Not only did Steve Bannon cost us a critical Senate seat in one of the most Republican states in the country, but he also dragged the President of the United States into his fiasco,' Law said.

Trump used his Twitter soapbox six separate times to encourage Moore, and eventually offer his explicit endorsement.

'The people of Alabama will do the right thing,' he wrote Tuesday morning. 'Doug Jones is Pro-Abortion, weak on Crime, Military and Illegal Immigration, Bad for Gun Owners and Veterans and against the WALL. Jones is a Pelosi/Schumer Puppet.'

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'Roy Moore will always vote with us. VOTE ROY MOORE!' he added.

Bannon openly campaigned for Roy Moore, appearing at Alabama events both this week and last

The statewide election in Alabama became a referendum on Trump, although the White House has been unwilling to say so

A second source who said he spoke with Trump on Tuesday told DailyMail.com that 'the Oval [office] and POTUS's phone lines will be a Bannon-free zone for awhile.'

Jones won't be seated in the U.S. Senate until January, giving Majority Leader Mitch McConnell until the end of next week to put the finishing touches on a tax-code revamp that Trump is anxiously awaiting.

The House and Senate are hammering out details and reconciling the differences between their respective bills.

With 99.3 per cent of Alabama's precincts reporting results, Jones led Moore by more than 14,500 votes, more than double the 0.5 per cent threshold for an automatic recount.

Trump's observation about write-in votes rings true: They accounted for more than 22,400 votes, a sufficient number to have turned the tide for Moore.

Trump re-re-re-endorsed Moore on Tuesday morning with a tweet predicting that Alabama voters would 'do the right thing'

Bannon's spokeswoman did not respond Tuesday night to a request for comment.

But Andy Surabian, a Bannon political adviser, texted multiple reporters a defiant statement.

'Mitch McConnell and his establishment allies got the Democrat that they wanted in Alabama, and are now threatening and openly defying President Trump's agenda,' he wrote.

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'Make no mistake about it, Mitch McConnell is now the highest ranking Democrat in America. Congratulations, Swamp.'