West Virginia Senator Joe Manchin, a Democrat, sparred with CBS News’ Margaret Brennan during a Sunday segment on Face the Nation.
Brennan noted Manchin’s previous comment suggesting himself and President Biden weren’t in the same ballpark but rather at different ball games, using the idiom to note drastic differences in their approach to issues.
The CBS News host asked Manchin if he would endorse Biden for a second term in 2024.
“There’s plenty of time for elections,” Manchin responded, suggesting the problem with Americans was focusing on elections early in a cycle.
Brennan countered Manchin by noting Biden was the symbolical leader of the Democratic party to which the West Virginia Senator rebutted, “let’s see who’s involved” regarding the upcoming election cycle.
“Let’s wait until we see who all the players are. Let’s just wait until it all comes out,” he continued. “My main purpose right now is to work for my country and my state. That’s my responsibility.”
WATCH:
“I’m not going to make my announcement for anything until the end of the year,” Manchin said regarding speculation over seeking another term in the Senate or higher political office. “I’m not going to make a decision on what my political position is going to be or [what] I’m going to do for my political future. I won’t do it until the end of the year. I’ve got too much work to do now.”
Brennan pushed back on Manchin’s mention of his “political future,” noting current Governor of West Virginia Jim Justice had previously expressed interest in seeking Manchin’s Senate seat as his second term ends in January 2025.
The West Virginia Senator reiterated his stance on the election cycle being too early to make decisions, noting candidates for the November 2024 election don’t file until January next year.
“We’ve got a runaway debt. We’ve got inflation that’s killing people. We’ve got unsecure energy. We have a border that’s out of control,” Manchin said. “You’re telling me we’re in the same ball game in the same ballpark? I don’t think so.”
Brennan further pushed back on Manchin’s language of “let’s see who all the players are” by asking if the West Virginia Senator was considering a run for President.
“I didn’t say that. I didn’t say anything about that,” the West Virginia Senator rebutted. “The bottom line is I will make my political decision in December, whatever it may be.”
The Face the Nation host interjected, “For President?” to which Manchin continued, “I’m not taking anything off the table, and I’m not putting anything on the table.”
“I said I’ll make a decision at the end of this year,” he said as Brennan continued questioning if Manchin was referring to holding off on endorsing future Presidential candidates.
“I’m focused on fixing what’s wrong with Washington, and the politics are so toxic the more you talk about this party, that party, what candidate, this candidate,” he said. “Look at what you have facing you right now. You’ve got inflation. You’ve got … energy. You’ve got unsecured borders. You’ve got geopolitical unrest, and we’re talking about basically everything but that.”
