Former West Virginia senator Joe Manchin said it was “unconscionable” to see Democratic lawmakers protest every facet of the president’s first address to Congress.
Tuesday was President Donald Trump‘s first speech to Congress since taking office for the second time. Four senators boycotted the speech altogether. Rep. Al Green (D-TX) was thrown out of the Capitol for loudly interrupting Trump as he spoke. Other Democratic members protested with signs and by wearing black or pink.
“Every red-blooded American should want your president to succeed,” Manchin said on Fox News’s America’s Newsroom Thursday. “Your leader has to succeed. When you are going to be against something, do it respectfully. Do it with decorum. Not able to stand up and be able to clap on something with a human touch, like that young man, that young boy, what he wants to do, that’s unconscionable.”
Manchin was referring to DJ Daniel, a 13-year-old cancer patient. During Trump’s speech, he commended Daniel and made him an honorary member of the Secret Service.
“[Trump] was not elected as comforter in chief. He was elected as commander in chief. You may not like the way he commands. But let’s give him a chance to see if it’s successful and try to make it successful,” Manchin went on. “When you disagree, do it respectfully and say, ‘Mr. President, I think I know where you’re coming from. Can I give you some input?’”
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Manchin served in Congress since 2010 until he retired from the Senate and left the Democrat Party. A Republicans filled Manchin’s seat during the election with Senator Jim Justice (R-WV). This helped flip the chamber to a Republican majority. The party also maintained the majority in the House of Representatives.
