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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Partisan warfare over Kirk’s death was also on display in Congress this week.
“Squad” Rep. Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich., once again accused Republicans of fascism and insisted it was “not a bad word” if it was true.
That set off Rep. Byron Donalds, R-Fla., who clashed with Tlaib in a fiery back-and-forth that lasted nearly a minute as the committee chair attempted to restore order.
Even moments of reflection turned tense.
After House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., closed a silent prayer for Kirk, Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, R-Fla., asked to read a public prayer.
Democrats objected loudly, with booing and name-calling drowning out what had been intended as a solemn moment.
“You caused this!” Rep. Lauren Boebert, R-Colo., shouted across the aisle.
“Pass some gun laws!” a Democrat shouted back.
The heated exchanges underscored just how polarized Washington remains in the wake of Kirk’s killing — a tragedy that, instead of uniting, has become another flashpoint in America’s political divide.
That divide was shown again when New York Democrat Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez took to the floor of the House on Friday ahead of a vote to memorialize Kirk, only to impugn his character and falsely claim he was anti-Semitic.
During her speech, she also suggested a ‘yes’ vote was akin to being supportive of the “Jim Crow” era of segregation.
“The majority proceeded with a resolution that brings great pain to the millions of Americans who endured segregation, Jim Crow, and the legacy of bigotry,” she said.
“We should be clear about who Charlie Kirk was: a man who believed that the Civil Rights Act, which granted Black Americans the right to vote, was a mistake,” she continued.
“Who, after the vile attack on Paul Pelosi, claimed that ‘some amazing patriot’ should bail out his brutal assailant. And accused Jews of controlling not just the colleges, but also the non-profits, movies, and Hollywood,” Ocasio-Cortez continued.
She added: “His rhetoric and beliefs were ignorant, uneducated, and sought to disenfranchise millions of Americans, far from the ‘working tirelessly to promote unity’ asserted by the majority in this resolution.”