Senator Joe Manchin

They called it back.

It was a billion-dollar project the government was sponsoring.

And I told him I couldn't participate.

I was one of the four states.

I pulled out and put my support behind Illinois, and they got it.

Never built a plant, but they got the award.

So I knew he knew it.

And then all of a sudden, he becomes the nominee for the Democratic Party and switched everything to renewables.

And I'm thinking, well, what are we going to do with all the things that the coal miners have done and all we've done for our country?

Does that mean you're going to bring new jobs or this or that?

There was no plan to replace any opportunities to live the quality of life and to live where they wanted to live with their culture and who we are and family oriented in the Appalachia.

And boy, I'll tell you, we had a meeting about one year afterwards and I was in the National Governance Association leadership.

And we had Democrats and Republicans.

I finally got a meeting with him in the Roosevelt Room.

And I'll never forget that.

And we were going around the table and different governors were speaking.

He came to me and I says, Mr. President, you've done one hell of a good job of villainizing coal.

And he jumped up and went nuts on me.

I'm thinking, oh, boy, here we go.

And he said, why would you say something like that?