Ted Cruz Says Dems’ Treatment of Joe Manchin Could Lead Him to Switch Parties

Texas GOP Sen. Ted Cruz praised Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia on Monday over his recent pledge to vote against the Build Back Better Act and said that Democrats’ “nasty” responses to the news could lead the moderate Democrat to join the Republican Party.

Manchin said Sunday during a Fox News interview that he “cannot vote to continue with this piece of legislation,” prompting staunch criticisms from the White House and Democratic lawmakers in the House and Senate.

“I think Joe’s decision was the right decision. I think it’s a really big deal,” Cruz told Fox News at Turning Point USA’s AmericaFest in Phoenix. “The Build Back Broke Bill was a disaster. It was a train wreck. It was Bernie Sanders’ socialist budget. It was trillions in new spending, trillions in new debt, trillions in new taxes, it would have driven inflation through the roof.”

“We’ve already got inflation exploding across the country,” he continued. “And it was reckless and irresponsible. And you know what, the people of West Virginia don’t want it. Manchin did the right thing. He actually represented the men and women of his state.”

Cruz, noting the “nasty” and “vicious” responses to Manchin’s announcement from a number of Democrats, said the Democratic Party’s vileness could lead the West Virginia senator to consider a party switch.