Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) commended President Joe Biden for brokering a bipartisan debt ceiling deal but contended progressive forces are dragging him to the Left.

"I think [with] Joe Biden, that's his inherent [to] who he is," Manchin told Meet the Press when asked about whether Biden was tacking back to the middle. "He's been pushed to the far Left. And that far Left is not basically where the country is, and the far Right is not where the country is."

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On Saturday, Biden signed the Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2023, which suspended the debt ceiling until January 2025 in exchange for a slew of spending growth reductions. Manchin hailed both sides for working on the deal, which averted the risk of default. The government was projected to run out of cash to meet all its bills as soon as June 5.

"I give everybody credit," Manchin said. "President Biden did what he must do, and what he does best is bring people together, use bipartisanship. But 90 days ago, we could have started this."

Over recent weeks, Manchin has stepped up his criticism of Biden for his implementation of the Inflation Reduction Act and initial refusal to negotiate on the debt ceiling with the GOP. The senator has also dangled a possible run for president, underscoring the need for bipartisanship.

Manchin demurred when pressed about whether the prospect of Biden moving to the middle would make him less likely to run.

"We can't continue to be pushed to the Left and push[ed] to the Right. Stay in that middle and pull people back to the middle," Manchin replied.

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Should he vie for reelection as a senator, Manchin will face one of the fiercest challenges of his career in the upper chamber from Gov. Jim Justice (R-WV), who has topped him in multiple polls

"Make no mistake, I will win any race I enter," Manchin has said previously.