Biden makes ‘cavalier’ promise to destroy all coal jobs in the US

According to Reuters, Biden said "No one is building new coal plants because they can’t rely on it. Even if they have all the coal guaranteed for the rest of the existence of the plant."

He later added, "We're going to be shutting these plants down all across America and having wind and solar power."

Biden claimed that the US is going to "become a wind generation" and "it's going to save them a hell of a lot of money and using the same transmission line that they transmitted the coal-fired electric on."

Joe Manchin, the Democratic senator from West Virginia, said on Saturday that President Biden's recent comments about his administration shutting down coal plants "all across America" were "outrageous" and that the president owed coal miners an "immediate and public apology."

Fox News reports that Manchin said, "President Biden's comments are not only outrageous and divorced from reality, they ignore the severe economic pain the American people are feeling because of rising energy costs."

"Comments like these are the reason the American people are losing trust in President Biden and instead believes he does not understand the need to have an all in energy policy that would keep our nation totally energy independent and secure," Manchin said. "It seems his (Biden's) positions change depending on the audience and the politics of the day. Politicizing our nation's energy policies would only bring higher prices and more pain for the American people."

"Let me be clear, this is something the President has never said to me," the senator continued. "Being cavalier about the loss of coal jobs for men and women in West Virginia and across the country who literally put their lives on the line to help build and power this country is offensive and disgusting."

Manchin added, "The President owes these incredible workers an immediate and public apology and it is time he learn a lesson that his words matter and have consequences."

West Virginia is consistently one of the top states producing energy, and typically ranks first or second year-to-year in coal production according to the US Energy Information Administration.

Biden's coal comments come days before the midterm elections where leadership in energy-producing states such as Pennsylvania is up for grabs by the GOP.