All posts tagged "james carville"

James Carville pinpoints the one move that could sink Darline Graham: 'She can't do it'

Veteran Democratic political strategist James Carville described how to sink the GOP's South Carolina nominee for the Senate, Darline Graham.

In a Wednesday episode of Politics War Room, Carville suggested that the Democratic nominee for the Senate seat, Annie Andrews, can beat Graham, who's endorsed by President Donald Trump and won the GOP runoff on Tuesday. Carville's strategy plays off Graham's faux pas during her debate with her GOP runoff opponent, Rep. Ralph Norman (R-SC), where she admitted that she's "not that informed on national security."

"If I were Annie Andrews' campaign manager, right now, this moment, I would send a communication to Darline Graham's campaign manager, and it would be as follows," Carville explained. "Dear sir, madame, whatever the case is, congratulations on your recent primary victory."

Carville's imagined letter would continue, "As you know, South Carolinians for the first time in this century have a real choice in a senatorial election. Therefore, I am proposing that we engage in three debates."

One of those debates would take place in "low country, maybe Charleston or somewhere in this environment," Carville said. "Simple enough. We can go to Columbia, which is mid-state, and then we can go upstate because this is a unique opportunity for the people of South Carolina to be brought into the national dialogue to understand the ramifications of the choices that they're going to make."

Carville then explained that he doesn't expect Graham to accept the debates, and he sees this as an opportunity for the Andrews campaign.

"You know she can't do it because she's too stupid," Carville said about Graham. "And you just hammer that home. You hammer that home. You've got two women running for a Senate seat. It's South Carolina, macho, Fort Sumter, never say die, whatever."

The Andrews campaign would have to leak the communications for everybody to see Graham's refusal and play off of how "everybody suspects for good reason that Darline Graham is stupid," Carville said. Even if Graham does accept the debate, "everybody's going to be sitting there just dying to see the next stupid thing she can say."

Gleeful Carville delivers 'monster' warning to GOP: 'Make 'em walk every plank'

Veteran Democratic political strategist James Carville on Sunday predicted that the GOP is in for trouble for at least the next two years.

In an episode of the Politics War Room podcast released on Sunday, Carville said he expects the Democrats to win 55 seats in the Senate plus the House after the midterms. He said that will be followed by "hardball" politics for the last half of President Donald Trump's term and possibly beyond.

"Every piece of evidence I see tells me it's going to be a monster year," Carville said. "I see no contrary evidence to that."

The GOP holds a 53-47 majority in the Senate, but Democrats are vying to upend that advantage in states like Texas, Maine, Alaska, Florida, and South Carolina.

Not only did Carville promise Democrats would win those seats, but he called on them to hold the GOP's feet to the fire and to begin winning over the public's approval.

"When Democrats win the Senate back, if I were the Democratic leadership, I would tell my pollsters to give me five issues of things that are over 70 percent popularity, and Republicans can't be for it," Carville said. "Raising the minimum wage would be one example. How about raising taxes on wealthy people to take the money and put it in the first-time homebuyers' mortgage relief fund?"

He said, "Anything with big reform is going to poll massively and play," so anything short of a constitutional amendment is fair game.

"Play hardball politics for two years," Carville said. "I mean, really hardball politics. Make them sweat. Make them vote. Investigate them. Make them take every tough vote. Make them walk every plank."

Carville even called for statehood for Puerto Rico and Washington, D.C., and expanding the Supreme Court to 13 seats.

"You move on with the future of this country," he said. "That's the plan."

Cranky James Carville gets fired up on CNN over historic Dem win

Veteran Democratic strategist James Carville had a feisty response on Friday over the historic Democratic Senate primary election in Michigan.

Carville told CNN anchor Brianna Keilar during the fiery back-and-forth that he was skeptical about progressive Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed and shifts within the Democratic Party after the historic upset this week.

"You got 48% in a primary," Carville said. "You're being hailed on CNN as a revolutionary, complete tidal wave hitting the United States. It's the latest, greatest thing that ever happened. And what I'm saying right here is I would go a little bit slow — maybe if I was analyzing this."

He added that Democrats would have more work to do, arguing that El-Sayed and other more left-leaning candidates should "develop some political skills that make you more accessible to more voters."

"That's just me off the top of my head. But excuse me for not being on the bandwagon here, that this is a giant movement," Carville said.

James Carville issues startling prediction as Trump faces daunting test: 'Will walk away'

Veteran political strategist James Carville predicted that President Donald Trump will find himself in unfamiliar territory in a few months.

During a Q&A on Politics War Room, Carville answered a question from a viewer who believed his prediction that Trump will resign after the November midterms but worried that Trump will run again in 2028 by falsely contextualizing the wording of the 22nd Amendment to serve for 10 years total.

"First of all, of all the things that you have to worry about, Trump running in 2028 is not one of them," Carville answered. "I'm watching him in real time, and I think this man is deteriorating physically and emotionally at a rate that's exponential. It's not linear."

However, Trump will find himself dealing with another challenge beyond deterioration, Carville predicted. After the November midterms, Trump's decline will be exacerbated by his fading into irrelevance and isolation, which he's never had to deal with, Carville said. Carville has also predicted a sweeping GOP defeat in the midterms.

"This is going to be accelerated by the fact that after November, he is going to be dealing with something he hasn't dealt with in his time in politics," Carville said. "He's going to be irrelevant. He's not just going to be irrelevant. It's going to be people are not going to want to be around him. They're not going to care what he has to say."

Because nobody's "even going to want to affirmatively hear" Trump, he "will walk away prior to April 15th," Carville said.

"I am more convinced after watching this fiasco with Senator Lindsey Graham," Carville added, referring to Trump's speech at the late senator's funeral.

James Carville names his choice for new Dem leader

Democratic operative James Carville suggested a new leader for the Democratic National Committee amid reports of infighting and financial catastrophe.

Carville recommended David Hogg, gun control activist and previous vice chair, as a replacement for current chair Ken Martin, The Daily Beast reported on Monday.

The veteran strategist was recovering from surgery and recorded his podcast in bed on Sunday when he made the pitch.

"If David Hogg wants to take it over, then, I ain’t stopping you—go ahead, man," Carville said.

"I did want to...weigh in on two stories I saw,” Carville said, responding to recent reports about mounting pressure on Martin as midterms approach in the fall and fundraising ramps up.

“One...was a story on the DNC that basically said it’s dysfunctional. It’s just difficult to do anything with it. And it’s all true," Carville said.

The New York Times reported on Sunday that Martin has become increasingly isolated and financially strained, noting a phone-throwing incident with a junior aide that triggered an HR complaint. The DNC is $2 million in debt while vendors have reportedly been asked to delay billing until after the midterms. Despite Democrats' favorable political environment, internal distrust, a botched 2024 election "autopsy," and a widening cash gap with Republicans have fueled fears among party officials that Martin's leadership is faltering.

"DNC dysfunctional. Water wet. Gravity real," Carville added.

Carville argued that new leadership in the organization might help the DNC "be somewhat relevant."

Hogg, 26, rose to national prominence as a survivor of the 2018 Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting in Parkland, Florida. He briefly served as DNC vice chair from February to June 2025 before his election was voided following a clash over his push to primary incumbent Democrats.

James Carville torches 'too stupid' Trump over his new favorite anti-Dem smear

Veteran Democratic political strategist James Carville ripped President Donald Trump as "too stupid" to understand his new go-to smear against Democrats.

During an episode of the Politics War Room podcast, Carville spoke about the upcoming midterms and Trump's new favorite attack on them, which is to call them communists. Trump has turned to using "communists" as a slur against his opposing party as more Democratic Socialists have won congressional primaries, and the GOP ranks have echoed his strategy.

However, Carville notably distanced himself from Democratic Socialists recently, but he told listeners of his podcast to keep in mind that Trump is "just too f— stupid to know what he's talking about" and explained communism versus socialism.

"Understand, socialism is an economic system," Carville said. "Communism is part of the economic system, also a political system."

However, he went back to his point about Trump not really knowing or caring, saying, "I don't think Trump knows the difference. I really don't. I think he's that stupid."

Carville, who proudly professes having Trump derangement syndrome, even said, "I'm going to defend him when he used communist socialism. I think he has no idea of history."

Trump "has no idea that Sweden and Denmark and Norway and Finland and countries like that are hugely successful countries," Carville pointed out. He added that those countries have socialist systems and "are really democratic countries, have a lot of really, really successful business and have a real strong program for social insurance."

Carville mentioned that Finland is "also hugely successful. There's no country that was more effective in fighting the Soviet Union than Finland."

'Breathtaking': New danger posed by Trump makes James Carville rethink his famous phrase

James Carville confessed he's rethinking his most famous phrase because of a new threat posed by Trump.

During an episode of Politics War Room, Carville revisited his 1992 quote, "It's the economy, stupid," which he coined during the Bill Clinton campaign to hammer home what issue mattered the most. However, Carville said he now regrets the phrase because the economy doesn't matter anymore in the face of Trump's corruption.

"I now have come to detest the fact I said that," Carville said. "I listen to people say, 'People don't care about corruption. They care about the economy. As long as their incomes are up, they really don't care what [Trump] does.'"

Carville took another look at his quote amid new revelations about how Trump is profiting from deals, like those related to his crypto ventures and foreign mining. Carville explained that he's "afraid" he sold the economy as the top political priority so well that Trump's corruption is being overlooked.

"When I said it in 1992, you can say what you want about George H.W. Bush," who was running for reelection that year, "he was not corrupt, okay? He was not a corrupt man at all," Carville said.

The corruption under Trump is "breathtaking" and "staggering," though, Carville said, adding, "I want to punch him in the f— face." However, people keep turning their attention to the economy.

"People say, 'Yeah, you know, you're right, that's all people care about is the economy,'" Carville said. "The phrase actually haunts me today."

Co-host Al Hunt told Carville, "The bulk of the American electorate, even in this coming election, is going to be driven by economic considerations."

"I agree, and it pains me," Carville responded. "We can get over high egg prices, we can get over high gas prices, and we can get over a lot of interest rates. You can't get over systemic, endemic, persuasive corruption. That's everything."

James Carville predicts next GOP candidate turns on Trump from surprising direction

Veteran political strategist James Carville predicted that the next GOP primary front-runners will attack President Donald Trump from an unexpected direction.

In a clip from the Politics War Room podcast, a viewer asked Carville if the GOP will "return to normal" by nominating candidates like Jeb Bush or Nikki Haley in the 2028 presidential election, which will decide Trump's successor. Carville and co-host Al Hunt doubted that future successful GOP presidential candidates will come from the center-right like Bush or Haley, however.

"A candidate, or more than one, is going to run for the Republican nominee and attack Trump on the basis that he lost connection with MAGA," Carville predicted. "He wasn't MAGA enough."

He elaborated on his prediction of what successful GOP candidates will say, adding, "When Trump starts losing MAGA, people are going to start attacking him, saying, 'The reason you fell down, you were popular, but then you turned your base on MAGA,' and they gonna use the Iran war as example number one to attack him. MAGA doesn't like that."

The June 27 runoff election to select the GOP nominee to replace outgoing Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-LA) will be a "telltale event" for how accurately he's reading the shift among GOP voters, Carville said. The race is between the Trump-endorsed Rep. Julia Letlow (R-LA) and Louisiana State Treasurer John Fleming, who is "way to the right of the MAGA-endorsed candidate," Carville said.

"My prediction is it's not going to be Nikki Haley or Jeb Bush or something like that. It's going to be a person who runs at MAGAism from the right," Carville said. "So pay attention. I think the attack that's coming at Trump will insist he lost his MAGA core, his central theme."

James Carville warns 'earthquake' in red state runoff could determine Trump's fate

Veteran political strategist James Carville flagged an upcoming runoff as a potential "earthquake" on Trump's grip on his base.

During an episode of the Politics War Room, Carville said that the June 27 runoff for a Senate seat in his home state of Louisiana "is a potential huge earthquake" for Trump.

The runoff is part of the race to replace Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-LA), who lost in May after Trump endorsed an opposing GOP candidate. Cassidy drew Trump's ire after voting to convict him at his second impeachment trial.

The Trump-endorsed Rep. Julia Letlow (R-LA) is running against Louisiana State Treasurer John Fleming. Carville argued that a Fleming victory would be a huge blow to Trump's command of the GOP.

"If Fleming were to win, which most people I talked to think is a possibility, that's an earthquake," Carville said. "That's an earthquake. That's in Louisiana. That's a hardcore red state, as you can imagine. That's Trump going all out for one candidate and getting beaten in his own base."

Carville described Fleming as "a real, real right-winger for a long time," and predicted that Fleming would attract "all the people that voted for Clay Higgins (R-LA)," referring to the hardline MAGA congressman.

"All of them, the most intense Clay Higgins people are all going to be for John Fleming, I can tell you," Carville predicted. "Just watch the race Saturday, and if Fleming wins that, I don't know how else you could interpret that but that Trump's just losing his grip on his base."

James Carville blames Graham Platner's scandals on GOP opponent's past

As people debate whether Maine Senate candidate Graham Platner is fit for office, political strategist James Carville threw all of the embattled Democratic nominee's baggage on the lap of his GOP opponent.

Platner won the Democratic primary for the Maine Senate race, but not before wading through hot water over a slew of allegations about a Nazi tattoo, sexting with other women while married, and acting aggressively towards his ex-girlfriends, which he disputes.

Carville jumped to his defense during an interview with journalist Chris Cuomo, and said that Platner's troubles stem from decisions made by Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME). Platner will square off against Sen. Collins for a critical Senate seat that could help the party steal a majority from the GOP.

"First of all, four combat deployments," Carville said, speaking about Platner. "In all of the deployments, you know what all four have in common? These were wars that Susan Collins supported."

Carville expects that those deployments "would have some kind of effect on your mentality," he said, and blamed the toll of that combat for the scandals plaguing Platner's campaign today.

"That's the larger issue," Carville said. "He's dealing with this from Susan Collins' wars."

Voters understand that, Carville explained. He expects that voters would therefore think, "Well, I would be radicalized myself if something like that happened," Carville said.

"And maybe it would be a good idea in the United States Senate to have a veteran who has struggled with mental issues and put him on the Veterans Affairs Committee because he's not the only veteran," Carville said. "He's not the only combat veteran that's profoundly affected by what happened to them during these wars."