Former US President Donald Trump suggested that Senator Joe Manchin is "saving" President Biden "from himself" by blocking the Build Back Better bill, according to Fox News.
"I think he’s saving Biden, because if they ever got that passed, this country would be a total disaster. Already, inflation is so bad, it’s at a level that nobody’s really seen — nobody remembers for so long — Jimmy Carter was there, but I think this will end up being far worse than Jimmy Carter", Trump said, apparently referring to the so-called "stagflation" period that occurred during Carter's presidency in the 1970s, when the US economy suffered from both high inflation and slow growth.
According to Trump, the Build Back Better package, should it be passed despite Manchin's current opposition, "would blow this country up".
"This country is not able to do what they would like to do", the former president continued. "It would be very bad for the country".
Bill Killed?
Manchin's "no" on Sunday made waves across the Democratic Party, with fellow lawmakers lashing out at him for failing to uphold his "commitments" to Joe Biden. POTUS himself, however, assured reporters on Tuesday that he doesn't "hold a grudge" and remains determined to "do something" about the bill.
Other Democrats, among them House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, vowed to hold more votes on Build Back Better in early 2022, refusing to "give up" on the president's ambitious social spending agenda.
The bill's legislative fate has been tough: already trimmed several times in order to satisfy every Democrat in the House, it may be curtailed even more to win Manchin's vote. Initially, Biden's aspiration was to designate trillions of dollars for social benefits, expanded healthcare, a massive infrastructure overhaul, and climate goals. The president has been pushing the ambitious package since before his inauguration, touting his plan as a way to "heal" and "unify" America.
Republicans, meanwhile, appear to be rejoicing over the potential legislative misfortunes on Biden plan's way through Congress, saying that Manchin's opposition to it is "exciting news" and calling to "kill the bill".