Independent Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia made it clear on Monday that he will not run for president in 2024 after facing accusations that he was “hungry” for the nomination.
Speculation rife that Manchin intended to run for the Democratic nomination after President Joe Biden announced he was withdrawing his candidacy on Sunday ended those speculation by saying he had no plans to run for any political office.
“No, I’m not going to run for any political position. I’ve made it very clear that I’m retiring,” Manchin told “Morning Joe” co-host Mika Brzezinski. “But I do intend to be involved, I want to have a voice, and I think I speak for the majority of Americans who are centrists like me. 51 percent of us are registered to vote, but we’re independents, 23 percent of that base is Democrats and 25 percent is Republicans.”
Joe Manchin reveals whether he plans to run for president pic.twitter.com/dq7FnhBERt
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Gayle King of CBS News Said In an interview on Monday, Manchin said the American people feel his “craving” for a Democratic primary before the general election. The West Virginia senator argued that dedicating his campaign to “demonizing” former President Donald Trump is “not a winning strategy.”
“Well, I’m just saying, we know what Donald Trump is like,” Manchin said. “He basically confronted who he is at the end of the convention. And he’s basically not acknowledging an orderly transition of power. He’s not acknowledging an election, basically an insurrection. He’s expressed concerns about whether we’re going to assist Ukraine. And the rule of law, the judiciary. So the concerns are still there, but people know that. And they know what they’re getting there.” (Related article: Donald Trump’s reaction to Joe Biden dropping out of the 2024 presidential race)
“What they don’t know is that they were hoping there would be a competitive primary, something like a mini-primary, but other countries have done that and have been very successful in a short period of time. And, Mika, the United States is the only country where the next election starts the day after the last one. So, I think that was all doable, but they decided not to do that. And it’s going to be hard to know where that will be. [support for Democratic candidates] It has changed,” he continued.
Manchin refrained from endorsing Vice President Kamala Harris, who endorsed Biden minutes after he dropped out of the race in a tweet on Sunday. The West Virginia senator asserted Biden “made the right decision” for the country and that he has a chance to leave a good legacy.
“He made the right decision for himself, for his family and most importantly for our country. And I think he has an opportunity. As I’ve said before, he now has an opportunity to do everything in his power to bring peace to the Middle East, to solidify Ukraine’s position and win its freedom, and also to show the world how a superpower transfers power in an orderly, dignified and passionate way,” the senator said.
Manchin, a West Virginia senator, appeared on CNN’s “State of the Union” on Sunday morning, hours before the president’s announcement, and called on Biden to back out. Participated Thirty-six other Democrats in Congress have urged the 81-year-old president to resign following his disastrous performance in the June 27 debate, raising doubts about whether he can defeat Trump.
Those Democrats included California Rep. Adam Schiff, Massachusetts Rep. Seth Moulton, Montana Sen. Jon Tester and Vermont Sen. Pat Welch.
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