Several prominent business executives hope Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) will defect to the Republican party and mount a presidential campaign against President Joe Biden, according to a report on Monday.

CNBC reports:

Wall Street veteran Nelson Peltz hosted a $5,000 a plate fundraiser for Sen. Joe Manchin at the billionaire’s sprawling Florida estate last month, where several top executives said they privately hoped the conservative Democrat would switch parties and run against President Joe Biden in the 2024 elections.

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Although Manchin told the group he plans to run for reelection to the Senate as a Democrat, a small group of donors at the event privately said they hope he changes parties and runs for president as a Republican against Biden in 2024 instead, the attendee said. This person noted that some attendees at the Peltz event, who once supported Trump, look at Manchin and his stances against some of his party’s policies as someone who could successfully run in a Republican primary and then possibly defeat Biden.

Minority Leader Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY) previously called on Manchin to switch over to the Republican Party, telling Fox News last year, “He would be a lot more comfortable on our side.”

However, Manchin has since seemingly poured cold water on the idea.

“I would like to hope that there are still Democrats that feel like I do. … I’m socially — I’m fiscally responsible and socially compassionate,” he recently told West Virginia Radio, according to CNN. “Now, if there’s no Democrats like that, then they’ll have to push me wherever they want me.”

Manchin has become a thorn in the White House’s side due to his opposition to the president’s Build Back Better Act. In February, the West Virginia senator referred to it as “dead,” signaling his unwillingness to support the $2 trillion bill any time soon.

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In addition to the Build Back Better Act, Manchin has also taken aim at the White House for its failure to contain soaring inflation. Last week, Manchin weighed in on consumer inflation rising to 8.5 percent, the largest 12-month increase in roughly forty years.

The senator said in a statement:
Let me be clear, inflation is a tax and today’s historic inflation data tells another chilling story about how these taxes on Americans are completely out of control. Hard earned wages and financial savings are disappearing faster every month as prices continue to climb, while the pain and frustration of spending more on everyday items lingers over us all, especially among those who can afford it the least. Americans are seeing some of the largest increases in goods such as gas up 48%, beef up 16%, chicken and milk up 13%, and staples like coffee and eggs are up 11%.
He went on to say, “When will this end? It is a disservice to the American people to act as if inflation is a new phenomenon. The Federal Reserve and the Administration failed to act fast enough, and today’s data is a snapshot in time of the consequences being felt across the country. Instead of acting boldly, our elected leaders and the Federal Reserve continue to respond with half-measures and rhetorical failures searching for where to lay the blame. The American people deserve the truth about why record inflation is happening and what must be done to control it.”