West Virginia Senator Joe Manchin (D) said that he was open to a 2024 White House bid.
In an interview with NBC’s “Meet the Press” moderator Kristen Welker, Manchin said, “I will do anything I can to help my country, and you’re saying, ‘Does that mean you would consider it?’ Absolutely.”
“Every American should consider it if they’re in a position to help save the country,” he noted.
Manchin added that he is “scared to death that Donald Trump would become president again. I think we will lose democracy as we know it.”
The statement comes as Manchin announced that he will not be running for re-election.
In a video statement, he said, “After months of deliberation and long conversations with my family, I believe in my heart of hearts that I have accomplished what I set out to do for West Virginia,” Manchin said. “I have made one of the toughest decisions of my life, and decided that I will not be running for re-election to United States Senate.”
“But what I will be doing is traveling the country and speaking out to see if there is an interest in creating a movement to mobilize the middle and bring Americans together,” he noted.
Earlier this year, the senator said he was “thinking seriously” about leaving the Democratic Party.
“I’m thinking seriously. For me, I have to have peace of mind, basically,” the senator commented during an interview with radio host Hoppy Kercheval.
“The brand has become so bad — the D brand and R brand. In West Virginia, the D brand because it’s [the] national brand. It’s not the Democrats in West Virginia, it’s the Democrats in Washington,” he explained.
“You’ve heard me say a million times I’m not a Washington Democrat,” Manchin stated, noting that he has considered the idea for “quite some time.”
