President Donald Trump blasted Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin (W. Va.) during a tax reform roundtable in the senator's state Thursday for not supporting his administration's signature successful initiative, saying he "votes against everything."
The major legislative achievement thus far of the Trump administration, Republicans passed a sweeping tax reform package in 2017 that slashed corporate and individual rates, in addition to repealing the individual mandate of Obamacare.
No Democrats in either chamber of Congress supported the measure, with many of them saying it favored the wealthy and would explode the deficit.
"Democrats have a problem. I mean, if you look at your senator, he voted against. Joe, he voted against," Trump said, leading some to boo. "No, it was bad. I thought he would be helpful, because he talks. He grabs me, I grab him. He says hello, I say hello. But he votes against everything, and he voted against our tax cuts, and that was bad."
Manchin, who faces re-election in 2018 in a state Trump carried by 42 points in 2016, has often sought to position himself as a centrist who is willing to cross the aisle, and he has occasionally expressed support for Trump's policies, such as the recent tariffs the White House levied on aluminum and steel imports.
"He does other things that I don't like," Trump said, to laughter. "I'll be honest with you. He does other things. So, you're going to have a chance to get a senator that's going to vote our program, that's going to help you in so many different ways, and you're not getting that help right now."