Washington DC - Outgoing Senator Joe Manchin had sharp words for his former party as he prepares to leave Congress.

"The D-brand has been so maligned from the standpoint of, it’s just, it’s toxic," Manchin told CNN's Manu Raju in an interview broadcast Sunday.

Formerly a Democrat, Manchin registered as an independent earlier this year. The move came after he stoked outrage for tanking his former party's agenda around voting rights, social spending, and climate and taxation aims.

Among Manchin's gripes with the Democrats are what he sees as too great a focus on social issues, including transgender rights, according to CNN.

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Manchin also cast progressive members of the party as out of touch with the American people, claiming, "This country is not going left." He suggested Kamala Harris' 2024 election loss to Donald Trump was due to her failure to bill herself as a moderate.

But Republicans also caught some flak from the West Virginia senator, particularly when it comes to guns.

"They’re too extreme, it’s just common sense," Manchin said. "I’m not going to ban you from buying it, but you’re going to have to show some responsibility."

"So the Democrats go too far, want to ban. The Republican says, 'Oh, let the good times roll. Let anybody have anything they want,'" Manchin continued. "Just some common sense things there."

Manchin reiterated during the CNN interview that he believes it's time for a third party, which he said would be called the American Party.

The senator told Raju he had considered running for president in 2024 with the centrist group No Labels, but ultimately decided against it since he didn't see a path to ballot access in all 50 states.

Nevertheless, Manchin believes there is a need for a centrist third party, an endeavor he said he would support but not lead.

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"The centrist-moderate vote decides who’s going to be the president of the United States. And when they get here, they don’t govern that way. Neither side does. They go to their respective corners," Manchin said. "So if the center had a voice and had a party that could make both of these – the Democrat, Republican Party – come back, okay, that would be something."

In the meantime, Manchin reportedly said he likes Trump and told him during the recent Army-Navy football game, "I want to help any way I can."

"Every red-blooded American should want your president to succeed, whether you vote for him or not, whether the same party or not, whether you like him or not," Manchin said.