Veteran Democratic strategist James Carville, who served on the 1992 Bill Clinton campaign and helped coin the phrase, “It’s the economy, stupid,” is questioning whether President Donald Trump is deliberately sinking the Republican Party’s chances in the November 3 midterm elections.
On his Politics War Room podcast with co-host Al Hunt, Carville argued that the president’s regular controversial public statements do little to help his party retain control of Congress.
President Donald Trump attends UFC 314 at the Kaseya Center in Miami, Florida, Saturday, April 12, 2025. (Official White House Photo by Daniel Torok)
President Donald Trump hosts a bilateral meeting with President Nayib Bukele of El Salvador, Monday, April 14, 2025, in the Oval Office. (Official White House Photo by Daniel Torok)
The criticism comes as Republicans face a high likelihood of losing control of Congress, with President Trump’s approval ratings falling and public opposition to the war with Iran growing.
New polling even shows that the president’s own voters are becoming less enthusiastic about participating in the November elections.
Carville Questions Trump’s Behavior
On his podcast, Carville questioned why the president keeps making controversial public statements, even as polls show his party is on track for poor performance across the board.
“I mean, there’s nothing that he does that’s consistent with trying to win, and [there’s] probably not much he can do. He is the central issue in the campaign; he dominates everything. But I got to keep asking: Is he trying to do this? Does he just want to screw the congressional Republicans? Does he hate them?” Carville said in the podcast.
“I don’t know. There’s some other explanation for this behavior. He might be out of his goddamn mind. Who knows?” he continued.
Co-host Al Hunt said that President Trump was “out of control,” with the pair referencing recent statements, including his controversial – and arguably poorly worded – comments about Iran potentially striking two California cities.
White House Responds
The White House has responded to Carville’s comments – aggressively. In a statement, White House spokesperson Davis Ingle forcefully rejected the remarks.
“James Carville is a stone-cold loser who suffers from a severe and incurable disease known as Trump Derangement Syndrome, and it has completely rotted his peanut-sized brain,” Ingle said.
The response did not, however, address the central question from Carville about whether Trump’s comments are damaging republican candidates’ prospects in the upcoming election.
Meanwhile, Trump continues to urge his supporters to vote in November and publicly expresses optimism.
At an Ohio rally on Saturday, October 3, the president insisted Republicans could still win big if voters simply turn out.
“Just get out and vote,” Trump said. “If you do that, we’re going to win, and we’re going to win big, and we’re going to shove it up their…”
The Trump Iran Comments In Question
While Carville’s criticism was broad, he was clearly referring to recent comments in which the president referenced a potential attack by Iran.
Democrats and some media outlets publicly claimed that the president was calling on Iran to attack Los Angeles and San Diego.
However, the transcript and video of his speech show otherwise.
Nonetheless, the comments were worded in a way that could easily generate outrage, and Carville argues that Trump presumably knew it.
During a rally speech made on October 5 at the Pinnacle Bank Expo Center in Grand Island, Nebraska, the president discussed rising gasoline prices and the cost of the war against Iran.
He argued that the economic consequences were temporary and worth it to prevent Iran from building a nuclear weapon.
He said that they were relatively minor when compared with the threat of a nuclear-armed Tehran.
He then doubled down on the comments in a subsequent rally.
“I said it the other day. ‘Let them hit a missile into San Diego or Los Angeles on the way. Let them hit.’ You want to see a horror show? You want to see problems?” Trump said in the speech.
“Let them hit San Diego. Let them hit Los Angeles if you want to see some bad things happen. You want to see a country in free fall? We’re not going to let that happen,” he continued.
“We protect our cities. We protect our country. We’re not letting that happen.”
New Election Forecasts Suggest Carville May Be Right
Carville’s comments reflect the widespread belief among commentators and strategists that Republicans face major risks in the coming elections.
On Friday, October 9, the nonpartisan Cook Political Report moved 18 House races in Democrats’ favor, including four Republican-held seats previously considered toss-ups that are expected to lean Democratic.
Cook Political Report now projects that Democrats will gain 9 to 19 House seats, potentially giving the party 224 to 234 seats in the next Congress.
Specifically, the assessment identifies President Trump as a problem for the Republican candidates, arguing that even substantial advertising spending has so far failed to reverse the Democrats’ momentum.
With fewer than four weeks until election day, Republicans face a steep hill to climb.
About the Author: Jack Buckby
Jack Buckby is a British researcher and analyst specializing in defense and national security, based in New York. His work focuses on military capability, procurement, and strategic competition, and he produces and edits analysis for policy and defense audiences. He brings extensive editorial experience, with a career output spanning over 1,000 articles at National Security Journal, and has previously authored books and papers on extremism and deradicalization.
