Veteran Democrat political strategist James Carville has a message for his party that has spent a decade running against President Donald J. Trump: don’t stop now.
The mastermind behind Bill Clinton’s 1992 election win offered his sage advice to Democrats who want to make the upcoming midterms all about affordability, including restoring Obamacare credits and reversing Medicaid cuts.
To paraphrase his famous bumper sticker slogan that boosted Slick Willie, “It’s Trump, stupid,” Carville presented his case during an appearance on MS NOW’s “The Beat” with Ari Melber on Tuesday, opining that it’s the president who wants to make the midterms about himself and that the Democrats should oblige.
(Video: MS NOW)
“When you look at it now, everything gears back up after Labor Day, and you’re really in this final seven weeks sprint for the midterms, where are you on the Dems ‘get out of the way’ because we just went through some of the numbers in the polling, and Dems still need the affirmative message of why this is not just anti-Trump, but turn the page to helping people’s lives,” the host asked. “Where are you on that balance?”
“Why do they need to be for anything?” Carville responded.
The 81-year-old “Ragin’ Cajun” said that there will be plenty of time for Democrats to run on actual issues for 2028 and that it’s more important to appeal to voters who want to “slow” Trump’s agenda down. He also brought up the upcoming GOP midterm convention in Dallas, Texas next week, which is being touted as a “Trumpapalooza” by the RNC.
“Their people are gonna vote on Trump,” he said. “Trump is going to spend, I don’t know, claims to have spent $400 million on TV, making it about Trump.”
“He’s gonna go to Dallas,” Carville continued. “They’re going to have this idiotic mini convention, which is gonna be a disaster, and my advice to Democrats is don’t just do nothing, stand there. The time for the Democratic message is going to be when we run for president.”
“But, you know, you can say, this is going to be about one thing and one thing only,” he added. “Do you want to continue in the same direction of Trump, or do you want to slow this train down? And I think clearly people want to slow it down.”
Trump is seeking to create a sense of urgency for conservative voters and is pleading with them to get out and vote as if he himself is on the ballot.
Trump on midterms: Pretend I’m on the ballot. pic.twitter.com/vLg9Pqx10S
— Acyn (@Acyn) August 27, 2026
“I see it all the time, that when Trump’s on the ballot, they win,” Trump told Fox News host Trey Gowdy last week. “When he’s out of the ballot, the people don’t go to vote, and I’m asking the people … to get out and vote. Pretend I’m on the ballot.”
The salty-tongued Carville also quadrupled down on his prediction that Trump will leave office after the midterms.
“I will say it again, I think he’s going to leave early. He doesn’t have any idea of how hard he’s going to be hit, and these Republicans are going to turn on him because they’re going to figure out it’s all about him,” he told Melber. “It’s his convention, all his ads are going to be about him.”
Despite being way past his sell-by date, Carville continues to be a sought-after guest by the media, which just can’t get enough of his hot takes.
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- Carville urges Dems to make the midterms all about Trump - September 2, 2026
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