A former Democratic senator shocked Fox News viewers on Friday when
he suggested that President Donald Trump is the only person who can “bring this country together” following the assassination of Charlie Kirk.
The murder of Kirk, 31, has drawn sharp partisan lines as Trump and Republicans accuse Democrats of inciting violence with repeated comparisons to fascism and Nazism dating back to Trump’s first term.
Democrats have countered by pointing to Trump’s own rhetoric, claiming he has encouraged a far greater degree of right-wing violence.
That argument does not hold water with Joe Manchin, the former governor and senator from West Virginia.
“President Trump is the person who can basically bring us together,” Manchin told a startled Fox News host.
“I’m praying that he’s able to say ‘listen, enough’s enough. C’mon, we’re all Americans. We’ve gotta live in this world together and our country, and keep it the greatest country on earth,’” he continued.
Manchin retired from the Senate this year after serving 14 years.
During his time in Washington, he watched his coal-powered home state shift steadily Republican, leaving his seat an easy pickup for the GOP in last year’s election.
Since leaving office, Manchin has leaned into his reputation for bipartisanship and centrism, the principles that defined his time as a Senate deal-maker.
He added that Trump is the only political figure today capable of bridging a divide that has never been wider.
“I’m really hoping. I believe in him. I believe he can do that, and with that being said, he’s able to calm down all this rhetoric right now. And for those who want to still spew it? That’s fine, it’s gonna show you being on the extreme,” Manchin said.
The remarks drew attention because Manchin, a lifelong Democrat, had often been one of the Senate’s most pivotal swing votes during years of narrow party control.
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