Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) slammed President Joe Biden's leadership as "dysfunctional" in a call with third-party group No Labels.
Manchin has not announced his intentions for 2024, for either a reelection bid for the Senate or a presidential bid, but has been meeting with No Labels, per Puck News.
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"I just came back from Ukraine, and I can tell you how precious the freedoms that come with democracy [are]. How precious [it is] to see people fighting for something with overwhelming odds for something that we take for granted," Manchin said. "And to be the leader of the free world, you’ve got to lead; you can’t be this dysfunctional. We’ve got to do better. We can. Don’t give up. God bless you all."
The comments on Biden's leadership come as Manchin hasn't held back criticism of the president and his fellow Democrats. Manchin has also called for Biden to negotiate with Republicans over the debt ceiling and has come out strongly against a rule that would halt tariffs on Chinese solar panel manufacturers.
"The hope is to keep the country that we have, and you cannot do that by forcing the extreme sides on both parties. And basically, it is about putting the country first. I applaud No Labels, and I applaud everyone who cares about our country to forget about this political environment that we have, and let’s try to make people come back together for the sake of the country, not just for the sake of the party," Manchin said.
Manchin has not publicly ruled out running for the president, saying that he is not running for president "today" in February and that he was "not taking anything off the table" in March. The centrist Democrat has been a part of the No Labels group since 2010, and the group is looking to get on the ballot in all 50 states for a possible presidential candidate in 2024.
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The 2024 decision for Manchin also has to do with whether he will seek reelection to his Senate seat. Manchin will likely face popular Gov. Jim Justice (R-WV) if he runs for reelection in the heavily Republican state. Polling suggests Justice holds a significant advantage in opinion polling compared to the incumbent senator, with a 66% approval rating compared with Manchin's 38% approval rating.
Manchin is expected to make a decision about his 2024 plans by the end of the year.