Manchin to skip White House campaign-style event, fueling rumors of Biden challenge

West Virginia Democrat Sen. Joe Manchin is reportedly skipping a campaign style event next week, fueling speculations he will challenge President Joe Biden in the 2024 election. 

According to NBC News, Manchin is expected to skip a major celebration at the White House that will be celebrating the first anniversary of the Inflation Reduction Act next week. 

A senior White House official downplayed Manchin’s absence at next week’s event as not a huge deal since it was taking place during a congressional recess.

“We will keep finding ways to work together,” the senior White House official referred to Manchin, according to the outlet, adding that Biden's team still worked closely with the senator. 

Speculation of a potential third party run from Manchin rose when he said said earlier this week that he was "thinking seriously" about leaving the Democrat Party. 

"I’m thinking seriously. For me, I have to have peace of mind, basically," Manchin, who previously described himself as an independent Democrat, told West Virginia radio host Hoppy Kercheval, according to The Hill. 

"The brand has become so bad — the D brand and R brand. In West Virginia, the D brand because it’s [the] national brand. It’s not the Democrats in West Virginia, it’s the Democrats in Washington," he also said. "You’ve heard me say a million times I’m not a Washington Democrat."