Former Dem Manchin blames Biden border failure for Trump’s return

Former Sen. Joe Manchin, IW. Virginia denounced Democratic leaders Thursday, saying they mismanaged the border to the point that Americans re-elected President Donald Trump.

Manchin, a former Democrat, spoke with Terry Moran in a candid interview at the Texas Tribune Festival in Austin, Texas. Manchin criticized leadership from both parties but said the Biden administration bears much of the blame for the nation’s border crisis. When Moran asked what Trump did right, Manchin offered a direct but nuanced answer.

“The border,” Manchin said.

“Even the way he does it?” » asked Morán.

JOE MANCHIN TELLS JON STEWART HOW DC DEMS LOST THE SUPPORT OF THEIR WORKING-CLASS VOTERS

Sen. Joe Manchin, IW.Va., speaks during a Senate Appropriations Committee hearing on the Diabetes Special Program July 11, 2023, in Washington, D.C. (Countess Jemal/Getty Images for JDRF)

“No,” Manchin said. “You said what was right. Securing the border was the right thing to do.”

He then blasted Democrats’ mishandling of the issue, saying, “They can’t even say we made a mistake. I begged them not to seek asylum at the border. We never did that.”

The mishandling of the border, Manchin said, has given Trump “all the cover he needs to do all these outrageous things that are happening.”

“Joe Biden’s failure?” Moran asked for clarification.

“The failure of the Democratic Party led by Joe Biden,” he confirmed.

Manchin also weighed in on Trump’s “tough on crime” stance, saying he would respond differently to governors who resist federal aid and calling it government overreach.

JOE MANCHIN LAUNCHES BIDEN’S PRESIDENCY AS A MISSED OPPORTUNITY WON BY “THE EXTREME LEFT” WHO HAD THE PRESIDENT’S EAR

The chaos at the U.S. southern border was one of the key issues gripping the Biden administration as millions of unevacuated illegal immigrants flooded into America. (John Moore/Getty Images/Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

“When I was governor, if I had a crime-ridden area and I didn’t have the resources to deal with it, I would invite him in,” Manchin said, referring to Trump’s use of the National Guard. “Bring on the Marines, bring on the Air Force, bring on everything!”

Moran interjected: “The federal government is not supposed to…”

“I know that, but I’m saying that if – let me make sure you understand. If I was in such a bad state and I was in a state where I didn’t have the resources, okay, or do it, I wouldn’t fight if he wanted to bring people in.”

CLICK HERE FOR MORE MEDIA AND CULTURE COVERAGE

Members of the National Guard stand on a sidewalk in Washington, DC, September 5, 2025, amid President Donald Trump’s federalization of troops in the city. (Fatih Aktas/Anadolu via Getty Images)

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

Fox News Digital reached out to former President Biden’s office for comment but did not receive an immediate response.