(Headline USA) Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., is preparing to mount a 2024 bid against President Joe Biden this year, privately warning Democrats that a “health scare” for Biden and a “conviction” for former President Donald Trump could give him a clear shot.
Manchin, who announced last year that he will not seek reelection to the U.S. Senate, has been weighing a presidential run as an independent with the backing of the group No Labels. Though the filing deadlines are soon approaching in various states, Manchin told a group of advisers recently that he can “absolutely” see himself being president, according to CNN.
The West Virginia Democrat is also reportedly telling potential voters that, unlike Biden or Trump, he could unite the country, while also bragging that he has exercised key influence on “everything” in the Biden administration’s agenda.
Publicly, Manchin has made similar comments, telling CNN that though Biden is a “good, decent man,” a second Biden presidency would empower the “far, far-left liberals.”
He has also blasted Trump, saying a Trump 2024 victory should be “very much concerning to every human being and every person who basically loves the country that we have, and the life that we have, and trying to have a future for our children and future generations.”
The day of the New Hampshire GOP primary, Manchin said he would make his final decision after Super Tuesday.
“Super Tuesday pretty much confirms whatever is going to happen, what we believe will happen, and we’ll see where we go from there,” Manchin said.
However, a person “familiar” with Manchin’s thinking shot down claims that the senator is preparing to launch a presidential campaign.
“He’s traveling the country,” the person told CNN. “This is beyond [the] Beltway Bubble game.”
If Manchin does decide to run, it is unclear whether he will do so with No Labels, which is reportedly divided internally as to whether a Democrat or Republican should be at the top of the “unity” ticket.
