Sen. Joe Manchin, I-W.Va., accused "extremists" of taking control of the Democratic Party and blamed them for keeping alive President Joe Biden's reelection campaign.
Manchin offered his take in a statement released Sunday, one day after former President Donald Trump nearly was assassinated at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania.
A former Democrat who will retire from the Senate when his term ends in January, Manchin addressed the state of U.S. politics while commenting about the Trump shooting.
The former president was shot in the ear, one spectator was killed, and two others injured after a 20-year-old gunman opened fire Saturday at the rally. Secret Service shot and killed the suspect.
"Our nation stands at a critical moment in our history," Manchin said in his statement. "I love my country, and I cannot stand by and watch these events unfold without trying to use my voice. The horrible actions of yesterday [Saturday] are the actions of one man, but they should surprise no one in the toxic political environment we find ourselves in today."
Manchin said "politics has become a race to the extremes" on both sides.
He cited Biden's status as the Democratic Party's presumptive presidential nominee despite a June 27 debate performance in which the president appeared lost at times and unintelligible.
"At a time when the Democratic Party must realize they risk losing the Senate and even the House, in addition to losing the presidency, they are doing nothing to broaden the tent and appeal to more Americans," Manchin said.
"Instead, they continue to pull the party to the left. Sadly, their vocal support for President Biden in the face of his irreparable debate performance, are just evidence of how much control the far left has over the current administration."
Manchin said the assassination attempt on Trump should be "a wake-up call" for all Americans.
"Nothing good has ever come from hate," Manchin said. "Sadly, one innocent rallygoer is dead and others injured because we have allowed hate speech to become a rallying cry for political violence. We are fortunate that former President Donald Trump was only wounded and will recover.
"This should be a wake-up call for all of us. This is a moment where Americans must come together to support the ideals that make our nation great. It is a time to put country before party. On both sides. It is a time to focus on what we are for, not who we are against. It is a time to recognize how close we are to tearing this country apart and to acknowledge how much worse that will be for all Americans."
Charlie McCarthy ✉
Charlie McCarthy, a writer/editor at Newsmax, has nearly 40 years of experience covering news, sports, and politics.
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