Former Sen. Joe Manchin discouraged House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) from calling on his New York constituents to “fight” President Donald Trump’s agenda.
Jeffries condemned an “extremist MAGA Republican agenda” during a press conference Friday where he alleged his Republicans were cutting taxes for “billionaire donors and wealthy corporations” while sticking “the bill” with New Yorkers.
“That’s not acceptable,” Jeffries said. “We are going to fight it legislatively, we are going to fight it in the courts, and we’re going to fight it in the streets.”
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Manchin responded to the clip while on Fox News’s One Nation with Brian Kilmeade. He was formerly a member of the Democratic Party, so he agreed with Jeffries that everyone should pay their “fair share of taxes.” However, he called on the minority leader to try to meet Trump halfway.
“I respectfully disagree with Hakeem on his approach, this ‘we’re gonna fight, we’re gonna fight.’ We’re going to try to make common sense to how we work together. That’s what they should be talking about,” Manchin said. “We don’t need any more fighting. We’ve got enough fighting. We’ve got enemies everywhere. We don’t need enemies from within.”
The former senator also advised Jeffries to change his tone.
“So let’s start talking about, ‘I disagree respectfully. This is a better way, maybe try this.’ But meet him halfway. And when not, just don’t vote for if you can’t,” Manchin went on. “Calling people names and attacking is just not right.”
Jeffries’s comments have drawn backlash from the White House rather than rallied a negotiating spirit. Deputy press secretary Kush Desai referred to the comments as “unhinged violent rhetoric.”
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“While President Trump remains focused on uniting our country and delivering the mandate set by the American people, the House Minority Leader, Hakeem Jeffries, incites violence calling for people to fight ‘in the streets’ against President Trump’s agenda,” Desai said in a statement. “Leader Jeffries should immediately apologize.”
Manchin was first elected to Congress in 2010. A Republican filled Manchin’s seat during the election, Sen. Jim Justice (R-WV), which helped flip the chamber to a Republican majority. The party also maintained the majority in the House of Representatives.
