Joe Manchin (D-WV) does not have high hopes that Joe Biden will be re-elected in November. The Democratic senator pointed out the issues that weaken his candidacy, such as the southern border, the fentanyl crisis and his political shift to the "left."
The moderate, who ruled out running for a third term in the Senate and decided not to present an independent presidential bid, participated in POLITICO's Health Care Summit, where he made headlines for his comments on the 2024 elections.
For example, he said he is surprised that the president has been pushed by his party to more extreme positions than he held for years. "He's been pushed so far to the left it's unbelievable," he stated. "I have been raising hell from day one. … This is not how you’re going to get reelected," he added.
WATCH NOW: @Sen_JoeManchin sits down with POLITICO's @burgessev to discuss the fight against fentanyl. #POLITICOHealthhttps://t.co/GYsmR70KTd
— POLITICO Live (@POLITICOLive) March 13, 2024
When asked about Biden’s political weaknesses, Manchin mentioned the fentanyl crisis and the president’s management of the southern border. He claimed that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is partly to blame for the current drug crisis.
"The FDA started it. They keep coming out with more products," the senator said, referring to the approval of prescription opioids that started the addiction crisis. "Nothing has been as deadly as what we’ve allowed to happen now. And you would think our own government would push back on this," he added.
When it comes to the border, which Republicans identify as Democrats’ major weakness, Manchin stressed that illegal immigrants continue to enter the country and the current administration isn’t stopping them. He claimed that fentanyl is also coming into the country from the other side of the border.
"We know that the precursors are coming from China. We know that they go into Mexico. You can’t stand by and let it continue to kill Americans," he said.
