'He’s a spineless politician': Joe Manchin slammed after committing to support next US president regardless of political affiliation

WASHINGTON, DC: In a recent interview with Fox News host Neil Cavuto on 'Your World,' Senator Joe Manchin of West Virginia pledged his support for the next president, regardless of party affiliation.

Manchin reaffirmed his commitment to helping the duly elected leader succeed in the White House. This comes after the moderate Democrat - who has held his Senate seat since 2010 - announced in November that he would not run for another term.

Commitment to Presidential Success

"Whenever our president is elected, duly elected by the people which Joe Biden was done, which Donald Trump was done in 2016, I’m going to do everything I can to help my president be successful," stated Senator Manchin during the interview on Friday, February 23. 

When questioned about his stance on a potential second term for former President Trump, Manchin acknowledged concerns about Trump's recent rhetoric, describing it as "vengeful." Despite this, he affirmed his willingness to support Trump if reelected, stressing the importance of setting aside personal differences for the greater good of the nation.

However, Manchin did express hope for a more civil tone in political discourse, urging leaders to prioritize common decency over vindictiveness. He specifically criticized Trump's attacks on GOP rival Nikki Haley.

“You’d hope that we could reason, sit down, and make sure he doesn’t use the vengeful, vindictive tone he’s been touting right now and use a common decency that we all have and have to have in this type, civil country that we have,” Manchin said.

In terms of his political aspirations, Manchin dispelled rumors of a presidential run but remained focused on promoting centrist ideals within the Democratic Party.

“I will not support someone who’s told me what they’re going to do and how they’re going to govern,” he said. “But if they’re in that position, I’m going to try to work with them to bring them back to common sensibility.” 

Manchin reiterated his stance of not endorsing a candidate at the moment, noting the importance of moving politics back toward the center. “We still got plenty of time here,” he said Monday.

“I’m going to do everything I can to help move them back to the middle and show them where the strength of this country lies, where the voting bloc of the country lies.”

Manchin's commitment to centrism drew attention to the polarization within American politics, with the senator emphasizing the need for bipartisan cooperation in governance, per The Hill.

“I’m just trying to do everything I can to make sure that we have a pathway forward where the center of this country is going to be represented,” Manchin replied. “And that’s the center-left and center-right.”

“I still believe there’s enough good Republicans and Democrats that want this centrist type of approach to governing,” he said.

Regarding the possibility of a rematch between Biden and Trump in the upcoming election, Manchin remained cautious, stating that it was too early to make predictions.

“Well, we’ll just have to see what happens. It’s a long time before that happens,” the senator argued. “Right now, there might be other people getting in. There are still independents.”

“You just might have still a third-party run from No Labels,” he added. “And we’ll just see what opportunities and what type of options you have.”

Social Media Backlash

Despite his pledge to support the next president, Manchin faced criticism from some Biden supporters on social media, who accused him of not doing enough to support the current administration. 

"Joe Manchin is looking for a job," one posted on X.

"He didn’t help Biden enough and he still has time to do it," another wrote.

"Start by helping the current one maybe," someone else added.

"He could start now but he’s a spineless politician," another fumed.

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