Former President Donald Trump said Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., was “saving” President Joe Biden “from himself” by opposing the Build Back Better Act.
Trump, saying Biden’s roughly $2 trillion social spending and climate bill would be “a total disaster,” told Fox News the president and the country benefited from Manchin opposing the legislation.
“I think he’s saving Biden, because if they ever got that passed, this country would be a total disaster,” Trump told Fox News. “Already, inflation is so bad, it’s at a level that nobody’s really seen — nobody remembers for so long — [former President] Jimmy Carter was there, but I think this will end up being far worse than Jimmy Carter.
“I think that Manchin is actually helping Biden from himself, because, if you look at it, and you look at what was potentially going to be passed, and I’m not saying it won’t, maybe he’ll change his mind, but it would blow this country up, with inflation and with other problems.”
Manchin on Sunday said he would not “vote to continue” with the Build Back Better package. The senator has said he’s concerned with adding to the deficit and increasing spending amid the highest inflation in nearly 40 years.
“This country is not able to do what they would like to do,” Trump said of Democrats’ items in the social spending legislation. “It would be very bad for the country.”
Trump was not asked about a report that Manchin actually wants the legislation to go through Senate committees and focus on rolling back the 2017 tax cuts signed by former President Donald Trump.
Time will tell whether Manchin saving Biden from himself is permanent. The president said Tuesday he and Manchin were “going to get something done” on the proposed social spending and climate legislation.
“Sen. Manchin and I are going to get something done,” Biden told reporters when asked about Manchin. “I want to get things done. I still think there’s a possibility of getting Build Back Better done.”
