Independent Senator Joe Manchin said it is time for President Joe Biden to “pass the baton,” joining growing calls for Biden to step away from the 2024 presidential race.
Manchin said he hoped the transfer of power could be done “in the most respectful manner.”
“I hope so, because I think it will leave a tremendous legacy for him as one of the greatest leaders we’ve ever had,” the senator told CNN International on Sunday (21). “I say this, and I made the decision with a heavy heart, that I think it is time to pass the torch to a new generation.”
The independent senator called campaigning an “unbelievable mental and physical challenge for anyone,” and said he wanted the president to instead focus his energy on seeing the last five months of his term through.
Manchin said Biden can use this time to “bring our country together, calm the rhetoric and be able to focus our attention on peace in the world.”
The relationship between Manchin and Biden has frayed over the course of Biden’s presidency, during which the centrist Manchin has served as a key obstacle to some of the president’s legislative priorities and has changed his party affiliation from Democrat to independent.
Possible replacements
Manchin said he expected there to be an “open process” to choose a new nominee if Biden resigns.
He said he favored governors as possible replacements because they “can’t afford” to be partisan as leaders of a state.
Manchin suggested Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear and Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro as potential options.
The two governors are on a long list of names being considered in Democratic circles.
Biden’s mental capacity
When asked by CNN Internationally asked if he had noticed any change in President Biden’s mental cognition, Manchin was emphatic: “I didn’t notice.”
He disputed any suggestion that he had noticed any difference in the way the president had been behaving in recent months, saying: “I haven’t had that problem at all.”
Source: CNN Brasil
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