Comment Sen. Joe Manchin III (DW.Va.) wouldn’t commit to endorsing President Biden for re-election in 2024 during multiple interviews Sunday, saying he’s “not into it.” Manchin also declined to say whether he hoped Democrats would retain control of the House and Senate after this year’s midterm elections, insisting he could work with lawmakers from either party. “You know, I don’t make those choices or decisions about it. I’m going to work with what I’ve got,” Manchin told NBC News’ “Meet the Press” when asked about the Democrats’ prospects in the midterms. “I think the Democrats have great candidates running. They are good people I have worked with,” he added. “And I have tremendous respect and friendship with my Republican colleagues. So I can work on both sides very easily.” When asked to clarify whether he didn’t care about the outcome of the midterm elections, Manchin remained circumspect. “Whatever the voters choose. I can’t decide what will happen in Kansas or California or Texas. I really can’t,” he said. “I’ve always taken the approach: Whoever you send me, that’s your agent and I respect them. And I respect the state for the people they send, and I give my best to work with them, to do the best for my country. That’s not how I play politics. I don’t like it that way. I am not who I am.” On ABC News’ “This Week,” Manchin was equally noncommittal when asked by host Jonathan Karl if he would pledge to support Biden if he is the Democratic nominee for president in 2024. “Everyone is worried about the elections. That’s the problem,” Manchin replied. “It’s election 2022, election 2024. I don’t deal with…” “No, no, but that’s a simple question,” interrupted Carl. “Would you like …” “It’s not. I’m not meddling in it, John,” Manchin said. “I’m really not.” In an evenly divided Senate, key parts of Biden’s agenda have often succeeded or failed at Manchin’s tilt. Last year, Manchin said he would not support federal voting rights legislation that his party argued was critical to preserving democracy, and the West Virginia senator almost single-handedly put the brakes on Biden’s Build Back Better plan, a package social spending of $2 trillion. Manchin’s doubts about Biden and his own party came as he appeared on all five major political talk shows Sunday to promote his role in the success of one of the president’s initiatives. He made similar comments last week in response to a question from former CNN anchor Chris Cuomo on his podcast, “The Chris Cuomo Project.” Manchin called Biden a “good person” but criticized him for his energy policies, saying he should have zeroed in on inflation as a major issue sooner. “I don’t know if Joe Biden is running again and he’s the Democratic nominee, depending on who the Republican nominee is,” Manchin told Cuomo. “Oh, you know, we’ll just have to wait and see. I don’t predict anything.” On Wednesday night, Manchin announced that he had brokered a surprise deal with Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer (DN.Y.) on the Inflation Reduction Act, a massive climate bill, the health care and taxes. While smaller than the Build Back Better plan, the new legislation still aims to achieve many of the same goals, including lowering prescription drug prices, enacting a minimum corporate tax and spending about $433 billion on climate change and the production of clean energy. “This type of legislation wouldn’t happen if the president of the United States didn’t get involved,” Manchin said on “This Week.” “And he gave—he gave his blessing and he signed it. I can assure you that. And I appreciate it more than anyone knows, because it was hard.” Carl then asked if Manchin would rule out voting for a Republican for president. Manchin paused. “I am not entering the 2024 elections,” he said. After some additional back-and-forth, Manchin added: “It’s been a long time. So I’m not going — I’m not going into 2022 or 2024. Whoever my president is, that’s my president. And Joe Biden is my president right now.” On CNN’s “State of the Union,” Manchin was asked if he would support Biden in 2024. “I’m not involved in any election at the moment: 2022, 2024, I’m not speculating about [that]Manchin said. “President Biden is my president right now. I will work with him and his administration to the best of my ability.” John Wagner, Tony Romm and Christian Davenport contributed to this report.
