James Carville Suggests Trump is Purposely Tanking the Midterms for the GOP: ‘Every Piece of Evidence’ Shows He’s ‘Trying to Lose’
Veteran Democratic strategist James Carville bluntly questioned whether President Donald Trump is intentionally throwing the 2026 midterm elections.
Carville, 81, noted previous Democratic midterm losses for both former President Bill Clinton in 1994, when the GOP took control of both chambers of Congress for the first time in decades, and in 2010 under then-President Barack Obama.
But Trump, he said, shows no signs of wanting his party to succeed in November.
“Is Trump trying to lose? OK, we know people lose elections and most politicians kind of want to win,” Carville said. Does he really want to win? Does he care? I don’t know. But it’s a question that’s gotta be asked, because everything he does — I mean we lost bad in 94 and Obama lost bad in 2010 but I mean, we were trying. This guy, every piece of evidence you see he’s actually trying to lose. I don’t know but I think it’s going to be a question going forward that people are going to want answers to.”
Trump has raised concerns in the GOP by sitting on $400 million in his MAGA Inc. super PAC instead of using the cash to bolster struggling Republican candidates, including Ken Paxton (R) in Texas, who is either tied or trailing Democratic challenger James Talarico in various polls.
Earlier this month, Trump discussed how to allocate the money during an Oval Office meeting with his political advisors, and reportedly said he planned to make the midterms a referendum on his record.
Trump’s approval rating has been stuck in the low 30s for weeks. One of the most recent polls, a UMass-Amherst survey of 1,000 people conducted between Aug. 21 and 26, put his approval rating at a shocking 32% as voters struggle with high prices and the ongoing Iran war remains unpopular.
The president urged voters last week to “pretend I’m on the ballot” and get out and vote.
New: The Mediaite One-Sheet "Newsletter of Newsletters"
Your daily summary and analysis of what the many, many media newsletters are saying and reporting. Subscribe now!
Comments
↓ Scroll down for comments ↓