Democratic strategist James Carville during a Thursday podcast urged Democrats to acknowledge they “betrayed” certain Americans who now support President Donald Trump’s “Make America Great Again” movement.
Trump made inroads among white men lacking college degrees, black men, Latinos and Asian-Americans and Pacific Islanders during the 2024 election, according to data from Democratic data firm Catalist. Carville said on his podcast “Politics War Room” that Democrats neglected struggling working-class voters and should own up to it. (RELATED: After Democratic Panic, Harris Lines Up Softball Interview Tour)
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“I have a iota of sympathy for somebody whose life hadn’t turned out right. And … the brilliant thing about MAGA is it gives you an explanation other than yourself of why your life didn’t turn out the way you wanted it,” Carville said. “And we should say to these people, we kind of understand what you were trying to say, but you were betrayed. Let’s also face it — Democrats acted like these people didn’t exist. All right? They just did.”
“And don’t come back and say we acted like working-class, particularly working-class non-college whites, were not part of our too-cool-for-school group. There were some real — and some real high-end people — that kind of bought into that shit,” he added. “And, you know, I can see it, but the best thing to do is not punch him in the mouth, but to say, ‘You know, man, I could hear where you’re coming from. And you just got betrayed. And we betrayed you somewhat and we now have learned our lesson.’ I think that’s the best way.”
Trump’s November victory over former Vice President Kamala Harris was also fueled by increased backing from rural voters.
Carville called on “urbanist” Democrats to “apologize” to rural Americans for disrespecting them during a March “Politics War Room” episode.
“The stupidity of we got to be the most progressive, self-righteous, moralistic people in the world and, you know, people that live in rural America are just, you know, fat, lazy and stupid, which is decidedly not true,” he said at the time. “But that’s the way that some of the urbanist elements of our party have tried to come across. And it’s stupid, and they ought to apologize to the rural for being so goddamn stupid.”
Moreover, the International Brotherhood of Teamsters in September 2024 declined to endorse a 2024 presidential candidate just hours after publishing internal polling data showing that nearly 60% of the workers it represents strongly favored Trump over Harris.
Carville also said on “On Brand with Donny Deutsch” in April that he believed the MAGA movement would persist even after Trump departs the political arena.
“I do think that MAGA will survive Trump. And I think MAGA was here before Trump,” he said at the time. “I think he was smart enough to see it, exploit it — and he’s very good at exploiting things but this thing is not going anywhere.”
The Democratic strategist said he believed former presidential candidate and conservative author Pat Buchanan was likely “the first person” to outline the MAGA perspective. Buchanan campaigned for the 1992 GOP nomination on a platform including opposition to globalization and unfettered immigration.
Buchanan even told the Daily Caller in April 2016 that he was stunned by Trump running a campaign that consisted of similar agendas to his own.
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