For more on West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin, watch CNN’s “Inside Politics with Manu Raju” at 8 a.m. and 11 a.m. ET.
As Joe Manchin prepares to leave Congress after nearly 15 years, the West Virginia senator, who left the Democratic Party and registered as an independent earlier this year, is moving further away from his former party, saying the Democratic brand ” poisonous”.
“From the perspective that the D brand has been so maligned, it’s just toxic,” Manchin told CNN’s Manu Raju in an interview that aired Sunday. He said this change was the reason for his departure from the party.
Manchin added that he no longer considers himself a Democrat “in the form of what the Democratic Party has become.” What they can do and how to do it.
“They’re basically extending the idea of, ‘Okay, we want to be there to protect you, but we’re going to tell you how you’re supposed to live your life from that point on,'” Manchin added.
Manchin believes progressives — a handful of members of his party who he claims wield enormous influence — are out of touch with most Americans.
“This country is not going to turn left,” he said.
The former West Virginia governor-turned-senator said he has been a lifelong Democrat because the party used to focus on table issues like “good jobs, good pay,” but claimed Democrats are now too worried about sensitive social issues issues, such as transgender rights, while taking “completely no responsibility” for the federal budget during the election.
But Manchin said Republicans are also not responsible for the national debt and further criticized them for their lack of common sense on gun issues.
“They’re so extreme, it’s just common sense,” Manchin said. “I’m not going to ban you from buying it, but you have to take some responsibility.”
“So the Democrats went too far and wanted to ban it. The Republicans said, ‘Oh, let the good times roll. Let anybody have whatever they want,” Manchin added. “Just some common sense stuff.”
When asked about incoming House Progressive Caucus Chair Greg Cassar’s comments, he said it would be better if Democrats were more like outgoing caucus chair Pramila Jayapal and less like Mann. Chin, the Democrats would have won the election, the senator told Raju: “Anyone who says that is completely crazy.”
“The American people voted,” Manchin said. “You know, they had the opportunity to vote with Kamala Harris and Donald Trump. Donald Trump, there’s not much to say. You know exactly what you’re going to get. He didn’t say anything about it.
He added: “You might say, ‘That’s so right.’ OK. If that’s the case, then why do they go too far when Kamara tries to get back to the middle?
Instead, Manchin blamed Vice President Harris’ failure on her failure to portray herself as a moderate candidate after championing progressive issues during her first campaign for president in 2019.
“It’s hard if you try to be someone else,” Manchin said. He refused to endorse the vice president before the election.
While Manchin sidestepped the question of who to vote for in November, he said he likes Trump and “gets along very well” with him. He added that at last weekend’s Army-Navy football game, he told the president-elect, “I want to help in any way I can.”
“I want you to succeed,” Manchin said he told Trump. “Every red-blooded American should want your president to succeed, whether you voted for him or not, whether you belong to the same political party or not, whether you like him or not.”
Senator Joe Manchin interviews Manu Raju in Dublin, Washington, DC, December 19, 2024.
Manchin ready for third party
Before Manchin left the party earlier this year, the senator considered entering the presidential race, challenging Biden in the Democratic primary and debating the race again after the president ended his campaign.
But Manchin told Raju that while he sees “pathways” where people don’t want a repeat of Biden-Trump and instead look for centrist candidates, he doesn’t believe he has a chance of winning on the ballot in all 50 states.
Manchin said he tried working with the centrist group No Labels but realized “if I couldn’t get to all 50 states, I had no chance of winning.”
“So why would I put myself or anyone else through something like this and go down in history as a spoiler?” Manchin added. No Labels ultimately abandoned plans to form a third-party presidential unity ticket for the 2024 election.
But Manchin stressed that Congress and the White House are interested in moderates and emphasized the importance of centrist voters.
“The votes of moderates in the center determine who will be president of the United States. When they get here, they’re not going to govern that way. Neither side. They go to their respective corners,” Manchin said. “So if the center has a voice and there’s a party that can bring both of those parties — Democrats, Republicans — back, well, that would be amazing.”
When Raju asked if he thought it was time for a third party, Manchin said he believed it was.
The senator added that the third party will be called “American Party” and will be a space for moderate Democrats and Republicans. But he said he would not be the group’s leader.
“I’m going to put down roots there. I’m going to be the best cheerleader they’ve ever had,” Manchin said.
The outgoing senator will be replaced by West Virginia Republican Gov. Jim Justice, a flip that would give Republicans control of the House and give them a majority in the chamber.
Asked if he would miss the Senate, Manchin said: “I don’t think so.”
The senator, who famously said the House “sucks,” said the sentiment exists but that he thinks the House “sucks.”
“Those poor guys. I feel really bad for them out there,” Manchin said. “They can’t move. They’re at a dead end.
But when Manchin looks back on his political career, he looks back fondly on the past 40-plus years.
“It has been the honor of a lifetime to serve the people of my great state and to be able to contribute to my great country,” Manchin said.
CNN’s Manu Raju, Aaron Pellish, Clare Foran and Matt Holt contributed to this report.
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