Joe Manchin calls Democratic Party ‘toxic,’ blames progressives

Sen. Joe Manchin, I-W.V., delivered a parting shot to the Democratic Party, calling his former party "toxic" as he prepares to retire from office at the end of the congressional term.

Manchin, who was a lifelong Democrat before registering as an Independent earlier this year, blasted the Democratic Party in an interview with CNN’s "Inside Politics with Manu Raju" that aired on Sunday.

"The D-brand has been so maligned from the standpoint of, it’s just, it’s toxic," Manchin said, adding that he left the party because he no longer considered himself a Democrat "in the form of what Democratic Party has turned itself into."

Manchin blamed progressive lawmakers for shifting the party’s brand away from issues such as ensuring good jobs and good pay for Americans to instead focus more on sensitive social issues like transgender rights and telling Americans what they can or cannot do.

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"They have basically expanded upon thinking, ‘Well, we want to protect you there, but we’re going to tell you how you should live your life from that far on,’" Manchin said of the Democratic Party.

He claimed the progressives in Washington, D.C., are out of touch with Americans, stating, "This country is not going left."

But Manchin did not only criticize Democrats, pointing the finger at Republican lawmakers who he claimed are "too extreme" and lack common sense on the issue of guns.

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"I’m not going to ban you from buying it," Manchin said of guns, "but you’re going to have to show some responsibility."

"So the Democrats go too far, want to ban," Manchin said. "The Republican says, ‘Oh, let the good times roll. Let anybody have anything they want.’ Just some commonsense things there."

Manchin, who has often been a crucial swing vote, was known for his moderate approach and bipartisan work on national issues in the Senate.

Manchin served 14 years in the Senate. His political career began as a state delegate in the early 1980s, before being elected as a state senator until the late 90s. Manchin served as Secretary of State for four years, and then was elected as governor of West Virginia in 2005. 

Fox News Digital’s Aubrie Spady contributed to this report.