McConnell says Manchin would feel 'a lot more comfortable on our side'

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell said that Republicans would welcome Sen. Joe Manchin with open arms if he chose to switch parties.

Rumors of a Manchin party switch have rippled through Washington following his vow to vote down President Biden’s signature Build Back Better bill. If Manchin were to switch parties and become a Republican, it would give the GOP control of the Senate with a slim 51-senator majority.

"He gave the American people the Christmas gift they needed," McConnell said. "He killed this bill in its current form, which would have been really bad for America, exactly the wrong kind of prescription for the rampant inflation that we are suffering already."