Sen. Joe Manchin, IW., has given the Democratic Party a parting shot, calling his former party “toxic” as he prepares to retire from office at the end of his congressional term.
Manchin, a lifelong Democrat before registering as an Independent earlier this year, criticized the Democratic Party in an interview with CNN's “Inside Politics with Manu Raju” that aired Sunday.
“The ID-brand has been heavily maligned in the sense that, of course, it's toxic,” Manchin said, adding that he left the party because he no longer saw himself as a Democrat “in the way the Democratic Party has responded to itself. .”
Manchin accused progressive lawmakers of moving away from partisanship on issues like ensuring good jobs and good pay for Americans to focus more on serious social issues like transgender rights and telling Americans what they can and can't do.
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Manchin left the Democratic Party earlier this year and registered as an independent. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images, File)
“They've stretched it to where they think, 'Yeah, we want to protect you there, but we're going to tell you how to live your life from now on,'” Manchin said of the Democratic Party.
He said the progressives in Washington, DC, are not connected to the Americans, he said, “This country is not moving to the left.”
Manchin used to be the deciding vote in the Senate. (Samuel Corum/Getty Images, File)
But Manchin didn't stop at criticizing Democrats, pointing the finger at Republican lawmakers who he says are “too extreme” and lack common sense on the gun issue.
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“I'm not going to stop you from buying us,” Manchin said of guns, “but you're going to have to show some responsibility.”
“So the Democrats are going too far, they want to block it,” Manchin said. “The Republican says, 'Oh, let the good times be. Let anybody have whatever they want.' There are just things that make sense there.”
Manchin, who has often been a key vote, was known for his moderate approach and his inclusive work on national issues in the Senate.
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Manchin served 14 years in the Senate. His political career began as a state representative in the early 1980s, before being elected as a member of state parliament until the late 90s. Manchin served as Secretary of State for four years, then was elected governor of West Virginia in 2005.
Fox News Digital's Aubrie Spady contributed to this report.
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