All posts tagged "james carville"

'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."

James Carville shuts down CNN host's 'way outside the strikezone' remark

Democratic political strategist James Carville blasted a CNN anchor's comparison between Democrats and January 6 rioters, calling it "way outside the strike zone."

During an appearance with CNN's Michael Smerconish, Carville started talking about the hard-nose tactics Democrats should adopt. He defended Rock legend Bruce Springsteen's Trump trashing at a recent concert and voters who support embattled Maine Senate candidate Graham Platner.

Carville also proudly declared, "I have Trump Derangement Syndrome, and I'm trying to get worse," adding he thinks Springsteen has it too.

However, Smerconish was trying to make the point that "Democrats have a blind eye. They're turning a blind eye to their own failings, and I look at Platner with his Nazi tattoo for nearly twenty years as Exhibit A," he told Carville.

"When the intensity and desire is only to beat Donald Trump, it's not in the party's best interest because they lose their judgment," Smerconish argued. "It's the same mindset that explains people who breached the Capitol on January 6. They were similarly warped in their thinking."

Carville fired back, "I completely disagree," and said "assaulting police officers" is nothing like "voting for a flawed person" like Platner.

"Breaking into the Capitol is a felony," Carville argued. "If you're calling balls and strikes, I'm gonna call this way outside the strike zone."

In fact, he doubled down and said that Democrats "need to do more" and be outspoken like Springsteen.

"I might have Trump Derangement Syndrome, but I am not a criminal," Carville said. "We are being led by a person who, if not a traitor himself, is doing exactly everything that a traitor would do if they got that job."

James Carville shares startling warning about Trump corruption: 'Just getting warmed up'

Democratic political strategist James Carville warned that more stories about corruption by the Trump administration are coming, even as the topic is already becoming more prominent.

"We're just getting warmed up on these corruption issues," Carville said on the latest episode of his show, Politics War Room. Plenty of stories are already front and center for people alarmed about corruption in the Trump administration, chiefly the anti-weaponization fund.

Carville was answering questions from viewers, including one about whether Trump will get better or worse. He said that Trump getting worse is "99.996 percent more likely," especially when it comes to stories about his corruption.

"The corruption stories are going to be coming like crazy," Carville warned. "As we unearth more, we're going to find more and more corruption because it is what they are, who they're about."

He brought up the book "Regime Change" by New York Times journalists Maggie Haberman and Jonathan Swan, which is expected to have details from inside the Trump White House. Carville plugged that book and others, saying "wait until these books start coming out" and reveal more dirt.

"We need to get ahead of this and get ahead of it now," Carville urged. "It's not only the right thing to do. It's a stunningly effective political message, and there's so much material."

Co-host Al Hunt added that, assuming the Democrats make big gains in the midterms, they should be "prepared for those investigations next year" into alleged corruption.

James Carville calls for 'aggressive party-switching operation' to crack the solid South

Democratic political strategist James Carville said that now is the time for Democrats to launch an "aggressive party-switching operation" that could crack the solidly Republican South.

"I'm calling for a new Democratic Southern strategy," Carville said on the latest episode of his Politicon podcast. "Southern Democrats, particularly in places like Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Arkansas, probably Texas, should go after party switchers."

Carville said the latest polling numbers he had seen estimate that between 15 and 20 percent of Republicans oppose Trump, and about 95 percent of Democrats do.

Democrats should have an easy sales pitch because "20 percent of Republicans in the deep south are Republicans of convenience. They don't seem really into it that much," Carville said.

"You go find a highly competent DA ... pick out a guy or her or whatever, and say, 'Look, if you're in the Republican Party, you're never going to have a chance to get anything,'" Carville laid out. "'You'll be lucky if you get to run for state registrar of lands after you're sixty years old.'"

Once Democrats spell out the doom facing them in the GOP, Carville said that they should offer to build around these potential ex-Republicans.

He said Democrats should tell them, "'You come in now, we're going to give you the keys to the car. You're going to have a base vote of 45 percent. You're going to be able to rebuild it in your name. We're going to raise money for you."

Democrats can promise to "give you a lot more than Republicans can give you right now," Carville said. "We got to start doing what they did back in the '70s, '80s, and we need to start going after party switchers."

He's already hearing from "a lot of people" who "will tell me, even Republicans in Louisiana, 'I don't like this sh—, James. If I don't run as a Republican, I'm doomed,'" Carville said. "Well, start changing that part."

'Give him a nice burial': James Carville drops bold prediction for GOP leader

Democratic political strategist James Carville sounded reluctantly sympathetic as he declared that one of the GOP's top leaders is "dead" and losing power.

Carville was reacting to a clip of House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) defending Trump's shocking "I don't think about Americans' financial situations" comment from earlier in the week.

"I don't much care for Mike Johnson. We're both from the same state, different parts. Our politics are really different," Carville said in the latest episode of The Jim Acosta Show, before confessing that, "At some point, I feel sorry for the guy."

Carville predicted that Johnson would lose his speakership following a Democratic takeover in November's midterms.

"He's trying to just cobble together something and just keep himself from being humiliated in public, and he's not going to be able to stop it," Carville went on. "He's kind of a tragic figure in all of this. I really believe that."

Although Carville has "attacked him numerous times before," he felt bad about going after a weakened and embarrassed Johnson this time.

"I don't think it's what he would say is the Christian thing to do here," Carville added. "I think we should give him a nice burial 'cause he's dead."

Carville predicts one thing Trump will remember when 'he can't recognize his own children'

Democratic political strategist James Carville joked about Trump's cognitive decline but predicted that he'll never be able to forget one thing.

Journalist Al Hunt, host of the Politicon podcast, was interviewing Carville in a Wednesday episode when he mentioned how Trump's "cognitive decline is so apparent." Hunt pointed to Trump's late-night Truth Social firestorm earlier in the week.

"He's slipping more than we've said," Hunt said. "He put out 55 messages, most of them bizarre."

Carville remembered how "there's an old joke about Italian Alzheimer's. You forget everything but the grudge," but he said Trump will experience a different version.

"The last thing he will remember is how to steal," Carville said. "He can't tell you what two plus two equals when he can't recognize his own children. The one thing he will remember is how to steal."

'The executioner comes': James Carville sees no path for GOP senator who wronged Trump

Political strategist James Carville is already writing off a GOP senator who wronged President Donald Trump and is now campaigning for reelection.

"Magic Seldom happens this close to an election," Carville told The New York Post in a Saturday article while talking about Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-LA).

Cassidy voted to convict Trump for inciting an insurrection in 2021, and since then, has been on the president's hit list. Last month, Trump called Cassidy "very disloyal" and endorsed Cassidy's challenger, Rep. Julia Letlow (R-LA). Carville signaled that what happened in the Hoosier state could be a bad sign for Cassidy's reelection bid.

"The Indiana result said you try any wiggle room — the executioner comes," Carville explained, referring to the results in the Indiana primary last week.

Trump was able to oust five GOP state lawmakers from Indiana who opposed his redistricting demands.

"It's pretty clear that Cassidy is not going to win," Carville said.