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0 Joe Manchin said he won’t make a decision on running for president in 2024 until ‘the end of the year.’
The West Virginia Democrat said whoever ends up in the White House next, he would work with as a U.S. senator – even if that is now-indicted former President Donald Trump.
Manchin threw a curveball into his party identification, refusing to commit on whether he would run as a Democrat, Republican or third-party if he does make a bid for the White House.
‘My filing date is January 15 in 2024 and I will make my decision maybe a little bit before that, but not until the end of the year, I can assure you,’ Manchhin told NBC’s Meet the Press host Chuck Todd on Sunday morning.
Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin (right) said he won’t make a decision on running for president in 2024 until ‘the end of the year’
‘As a Democrat or as something else?’ Todd questioned.
‘Well, the party identification is not going to change me. Democrat, Republican. I mean, having a D or R should not change you as a person. I’m going to still fight for the things I do,’ Machin assured.
‘Can’t I be a moderate centrist with whatever identification or no identification? I would think. I’m not going to be changing as a person,’ the West Virginia senator continued. ‘I’ve been doing this for a long time.’
Usually there are very few challenges from same-party members, if any, when there is an incumbent in the White House.
President Joe Biden, however, has not yet formally announced whether he is going to be running for a second term – although he has indicated he has every intention to do so with current Vice President Kamala Harris as his running mate again.
New polling shows that 44 percent of Democratic voters do not want to see Biden run for reelection in 2024, with only one-quarter of respondents saying they want to see another run and 30 percent showing indifference.
‘Would you like to see him run again or not?’ Todd asked of Manchin.
‘No matter who my president is – whether it’s a Democrat or Republican, whether it’s someone I voted for or not, whether it’s in the same political party or not – it doesn’t make a difference. Once the people of America speak and that’s our president, then I’m going to do everything I can to make them successful,’ Manchin said.
He added: ‘Whether it’s Donald Trump or whether it’s Joe Biden.’
‘But I’ve got to speak truth to power when I know that we can do better.’
