MSNBC host Katy Tur grilled Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.V., for not having endorsed President Biden yet during a recent interview.
When Manchin indicated during a segment of "MSNBC Reports" Friday that he has not endorsed Biden because he’s waiting for him to move to the center on certain issues, the host questioned his decision, arguing that even if he’s not happy with Biden, the president is at least a better choice than Trump.
The retiring Democratic lawmaker said he "cannot, for the love of my country, endorse or support Donald Trump," but stopped short of promoting Biden as the right choice, noting how far left he believes the current president has gone.
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Manchin added, "I think his staff has taken him too far left. I don’t believe that’s where he needs to be. I don’t believe that’s where he is internally – never has been –and I’d love to see him come back to that. I’m still working hard, trying to see if I can help a little bit there."
"So are you waiting for him to move? Is that what you’re holding your endorsement for?" Tur asked.
"Well, I think he needs to move. I really do," the lawmaker answered.
Tur continued pushing him, telling him that it’s a simple enough choice between Biden and the former president and the policies don't "really matter."
"I hear you that you’re waiting for Joe Biden to move to the middle on some of these issues where you believe he’s been in the past, but isn’t it a binary choice, if you’re talking about how Donald Trump is a threat?" she asked. "You said he scares the bejesus out of you, you talk about how he’s not great for democracy. You just mentioned it now, isn’t that a binary choice?"
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"Don’t the policy differences with Joe Biden not really matter when you’re talking about somebody else who’s running against him, the other person who would win. It’s one or the other," Tur pressed.
The lawmaker replied by saying that Biden has been "pushed too far to the left" and needs to get to the center so that he can regain the voter base he needs to beat Trump, who he said has a "strong base."
Tur has been a vocal critic of Trump throughout his political career. In her book chronicling the Trump 2016 campaign, she wrote she was "about to throw up" after finding out he won.
Later, Tur stated, "It sounds like to me you’re waiting, and there will be an endorsement before November, and it’s not going to be Donald Trump. It just sounds like right now you’re trying to use your influence and your leverage to try to move him on some issues."
Again the host tried to get him to admit he’s going for Biden, asking, "You do understand that it’s a binary choice, and that ultimately you’re going to come out on his side, is that wrong?"
Manchin said it’s not about him but about voters who will sit out if Biden doesn’t "give them a reason" to vote.
Tur probed him again: "Are you one of those people?" After he dodged the question, she asked "But are you going to sit on the sidelines come November?"
"Oh, I’ve never sat on the sidelines," he shot back. "We'll just have to wait and see how it goes."
