West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin said Thursday he plans on working with President-elect Trump in the Senate in order to make the government work, instead of being a partisan obstacle to the new administration.
Manchin met with Trump earlier this week to discuss a place in the administration and was criticized by outgoing Minority Leader Sen. Harry Reid for moving closer to Trump. But Manchin said on Fox News his job isn’t to be partisan.
“I’m just working and trying to make this place work,” he said. “My identity being a Democrat or your identity being a Republican should not interfere with our identity being an American. I don’t know why people get all bent up on that.”
Manchin identified himself as a Democrat multiple times Thursday, appearing put to bed rumors of a party switch. He said that just because he doesn’t agree with Democrats all the time doesn’t mean he’s now a Republican.
“I’m a West Virginia Democrat, and I don’t agree with all of my (fellow) Washington, D.C., Democrat policies,” he said. “But, again, I have a lot of Republican West Virginians that don’t agree with the national Republican Party.”
He said it was important for him to stay in the Senate and try to make American government work. “I can do an awful lot of good and be an awful lot of help, I believe, working right where I am,” he said.
