Sen. Joe Manchin shook up the 2024 Election when he announced he wasn’t running for reelection. His West Virginia seat will be up for grabs, a big chance for a Republican flip. Many speculated that Manchin was leaving the Senate—so he can run for president.

For months, the moderate Democrat seemed to be hinting at an independent run. He even talked about uniting the middle, as he criticized both parties for moving to the extremes.

Now, the soon-to-be-former senator just announced his 2024 plans. Few, perhaps, saw this decision coming. And what he said about Joe Biden will certainly upset the White House and Democrats.

From Daily Wire:
Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) said during an interview on Monday night that he decided not to run for president because of recent dysfunction that he saw in Congress…

Manchin said that he has repeatedly warned Biden and his staff that they’ve moved too far to the left…

When asked about endorsing Biden, Manchin said: “I’m not endorsing anybody, right now. We’re gonna see what all happens, we still got plenty of time here…”

Joe Manchin will not be running for president in 2024. This might not be a surprise to those paying attention—he waited too long and probably saw he did not have enough time to build momentum.

But Manchin’s reason, he claims, for not running is the current “dysfunction” in Congress. He complained that an immigration bill from the Senate did not pass, suggesting that presidential candidate Donald Trump had something to do with it.

In reality, the bill did not pass because House leaders vowed to block it. The bill was far and away not what border hawks were asking for.

Manchin went on to lambast Joe Biden for moving “too far to the left.” The senator refused to endorse Biden. He went on to say he is going to try to “move them back to the middle.”

It’s not clear whom he is referring to when he says “them.” If Manchin believes he can convince Joe Biden to move to the middle, he is sorely mistaken. Biden’s administration is being run, it seems, by far-left progressives who have no intention of appealing to middle-of-the-road voters.

Manchin, being a Democrat, has a longshot of a chance of convincing Donald Trump or Republicans of being in the “middle.” With the announcement that he is not running for president, Manchin has effectively shut himself out of American politics. His influence will rapidly wane in the coming days and months.

Key Takeaways:

• Moderate Democrat Joe Manchin announced he was not running for president.
• He refused to endorse Joe Biden, however, saying he moved too far to the left.
• Manchin criticized Congress for being unable to pass a widely unpopular immigration bill.

Source: Daily Wire