Manchin calls on Biden to step aside in 2024 to focus on being president and “leave with a legacy unmatched”

Sen. Joe Manchin on Sunday joined a growing pool of lawmakers across party lines who are publicly calling for President Biden to remove himself from the 2024 race in the aftermath of the debate last month, telling “Face the Nation” he’s “hopeful” that “if a torch is passed to a new generation,” Mr. Biden can finish out his current term and “be the president I know he is and can be.”

“I would like President Biden to be able to finish his five months of leading this country, truly leading this country, the way I know he can,” Manchin said. “And if at this point in time, he would pass that torch, he would be able to focus all his energy towards, in the next five months, of how do we heal?”

Manchin added that if Mr. Biden focused instead on the rest of his term on being president and not campaigning, “he would leave with a legacy unmatched.” He said that Mr. Biden and his team were informed of what he was going to say in this interview.

Mr. Biden’s performance during the televised debate with former President Donald Trump sparked panic throughout the Democratic Party, with some of its leading members now questioning whether he’s fit to be their nominee. The president’s recent COVID-19 diagnosis is also fueling those concerns.

Manchin said that he has “all the confidence in the world” that Mr. Biden can continue to serve the reminder of his current term even though the senator believes he should withdraw from the 2024 presidential race, noting how campaigns take “a toll.”

“Every day, being in campaign mode, thinking what the next speech is going to be, the next fundraiser is going to be, takes you away from the needs that we have in the world today and in our country,” Manchin told “Face the Nation” moderator Margaret Brennan. 

The senator acknowledged there is a short window of time for the Democratic Party to settle on a presidential nominee but said he believes “there could be an open primary process” before the Democratic National Convention, which is scheduled to begin on Aug. 19 in Chicago. When asked if he would support Vice President Kamala Harris if she were to appear at the top of the Democratic ticket, Manchin said “it depends what the policies are” and added, “I want to see the platform change.”

Manchin initially called for Mr. Biden to leave the presidential race in an appearance on ABC’s “This Week” earlier Sunday morning.

“He will go down with a legacy unlike many people as one of the finest … and truly a patriot American,” the senator said. “So, with that, I come with a heavy heart to think the time has come for him. To pass the torch to a new generation.”

Manchin is technically registered as an independent, since announcing his exit from the Democratic Party in May. But the senator from West Virginia still caucuses with Democrats, as do his fellow independents in the chamber. He told “This Week” co-anchor Martha Raddatz that he hasn’t spoken to Mr. Biden in the last three weeks but is “concerned about the president’s health and well-being.”

“It’s concerning when you watch him,” said Manchin. While the senator said he believes Mr. Biden can complete his current term in office, “and finish the way he wanted to lead,” he thinks the president should end his reelection campaign and allow someone new to step in as the Democratic nominee.

“It’s time for a new generation to try to heal the party and heal the country,” he said.

In response to Manchin’s comments, a Biden campaign spokesperson said while a majority of the caucus still stands by the incumbent president, they’re “clear-eyed that the urgency and stakes of beating Donald Trump means others feel differently.”

“We all share the same goal: an America where everyone gets a fair shot and freedom and democracy are protected,” the statement said. “Unlike Republicans, we’re a party that accepts – and even celebrates – differing opinions, but in the end, we will absolutely come together to beat Donald Trump this November.”

Manchin echoed similar calls from Democratic lawmakers who have called for Mr. Biden to drop his reelection bid. On Friday, nine House Democrats and two more Democratic senators — including key Biden ally Sen. Sherrod Brown of Ohio, who is facing a tough reelection campaign — called on Mr. Biden to step aside in the 2024 race.

Rep. Dean Phillips, a Minnesota Democrat who endorsed Mr. Biden’s campaign after challenging him for the Democratic nomination, also said Sunday that he believes the president should step aside in 2024 in separate “Face the Nation” interview.

“I did endorse him, and I still endorse him, but it is time to step aside and turn this over to a new generation,” said Phillips. “My endorsement stays until he makes that decision. I’m encouraging that. The country is encouraging it. And he has a chance to be an American hero.”