Manchin Calls for Biden to Withdraw His Candidacy

Senator Joe Manchin III, a longtime Democrat from West Virginia who recently abandoned the party to declare himself an independent, on Sunday joined the growing calls in the Senate for President Biden to step aside as the Democratic nominee for president.

Mr. Manchin, who left the Democratic Party in May because he thought it had moved too far to the left, made his call on three different television news programs on Sunday morning.

“I came to a decision with a heavy heart that I think it’s time to pass the torch to a new generation,” Mr. Manchin said on CNN.

Mr. Manchin, who still caucuses with Democrats, is the fifth senator aligned with the party to call on Mr. Biden to step aside amid concerns that he cannot defeat former President Donald J. Trump in November. Mr. Manchin said he would not run for president should Mr. Biden step aside.

“I want to support the new generation,” he said.

Mr. Manchin initially planned to speak out against Mr. Biden’s candidacy after his debate performance last month left the president’s supporters disillusioned about his chances for re-election. Mr. Manchin had asked his staff to book him on several Sunday shows to rail against the state of the campaign, but he backed off those plans after several of Mr. Biden’s allies intervened.

Mr. Manchin’s comments were no endorsement of Mr. Trump. He said he remained troubled by the dangers of a second Trump term, given the former president’s role in trying to overturn the 2020 election, his attacks on the judicial system and his abandonment of overseas allies.

“I’m as concerned today as I was that President Trump has basically not acknowledged that the insurrection was real,” Mr. Manchin said. “They tried to overthrow a government. That was real.”