President Donald Trump on Friday ripped Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., for voting to impeach him, saying that he "was just a puppet" for Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif.
"I was very surprised & disappointed that Senator Joe Manchin of West Virginia voted against me on the Democrat's totally partisan Impeachment Hoax. No President has done more for the great people of West Virginia than me (Pensions), and that will always continue," Trump tweeted Friday morning.
"Every Republican Senator except Romney, many highly religious people, all very smart, voted against the Impeachment Hoax," he continued, adding that Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., who is the junior senator from Manchin's state, "was all in (a great person). I was told by many that Manchin was just a puppet for Schumer & Pelosi. That's what he is!"
Manchin told Politico this week that he could end up endorsing Trump for reelection despite voting to remove him from office.
"I don't rule anything out. I really don't rule anything out," Manchin said. "I'm always going to be for what's best for my country. Everybody can change. Maybe the president will change, you know? Maybe that uniter will come out, versus the divider."
The senator added that he forgave Trump for trying to stop his successful reelection campaign in 2018 after just a week.
"It's not different when he wanted to have lunch the week after I was elected. And he said: 'I knew we couldn't beat you.' And I said: 'it wasn't for lack of trying.' Boom, it's over, let it go. I did. I'm asking him to do the same thing I did," Manchin said. "He tried to remove me."
Theodore Bunker ✉
Theodore Bunker, a Newsmax writer, has more than a decade covering news, media, and politics.
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