Sen. Joe Manchin (I-WV) blasted the Democratic Party as “toxic” in one of his final interviews before leaving Congress.
In a Sunday interview with CNN, Manchin, who broke with the Democratic Party in 2024 after a lifetime of membership, said the growing toxicity of the Democratic “brand” was the primary reason for his departure.
“The D-brand has been so maligned from the standpoint of, it’s just, it’s toxic,” he told CNN’s Manu Raju.
Manchin said the party was unrecognizable from the one he was a member of his whole life, arguing it was now too focused on cultural battles such as transgender issues and not enough on fiscal responsibility.
He directed an attack on incoming Congressional Progressive Caucus Chairman Greg Casar’s (D-TX) claim that the Democrats would have won the 2024 election if they had been more like outgoing caucus Chairwoman Pramila Jayapal (D-WA) instead of Manchin.
“For someone to say that, they’ve got to be completely insane,” the West Virginia independent said.
“The people in America voted,” he continued. “They had that opportunity, you know, to vote with Kamala Harris and with Donald Trump. Donald Trump, there’s not much [that] hasn’t been said. You know exactly what you’re getting. He hasn’t made any bones about it.”
Manchin also broke with Democratic orthodoxy by offering limited praise for President-elect Donald Trump, saying he gets “along fine” with him and is rooting for his success. He offered words of encouragement after seeing him at the Army-Navy game.
“I want you to succeed,” Manchin said he told Trump. “Every red-blooded American should want your president to succeed, whether you vote for him or not, whether the same party or not, whether you like him or not.”
He dodged answering who he voted for in November but has previously said he could never vote for Trump.
Manchin contemplated a run for president in 2024 as an independent but decided against it. He opted not to run for reelection in the Senate in 2024 after polls showed a looming devastating loss against Gov. Jim Justice (R-WV).
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The West Virginia senator told CNN that he looks back on his 40-year political career fondly but that he “doesn’t think” he will miss the Senate.
Manchin has cast himself as a voice of reason, frequently criticizing Democrats and Republicans in his final years of office. The approach hasn’t won him many friends, leading to his exit from the Democratic Party in his final year in the Senate. He was one of the few Democratic senators openly critical of President Joe Biden during his administration, particularly on issues of energy.