Democratic strategist James Carville was left "perplexed" after Donald Trump's surprising victory. He sounded downbeat, saying, "I’m in a very, very dark tunnel right now."
In a YouTube update, the 80-year-old expressed dismay over people re-electing Trump despite his controversies. He now feels he must "reevaluate" the Democratic Party's strategy and his perspective on America.
"I just have to get over the fact that I’m 80 years old and I live in a country that has put [in] a felonious bigot," he lamented. Carville described Trump as "the most parochial, secular person that you could ever imagine."
Throughout the 2024 presidential race, Carville has been a notable media figure. He has guided his party on defeating Trump, critiquing messaging that seemed condescending to male voters.
Just weeks before the election, Carville confidently predicted Vice President Kamala Harris would beat Trump. In a New York Times piece, he outlined "Three Reasons I’m Certain Kamala Harris Will Win."
On MSNBC, he expressed similar confidence, asserting, "She’s got more money, got more energy, has a more united party." He added, "He’s stone a—nuts."
After the election, Carville struggled to process the results. Trump won both the popular and Electoral College votes in a shocking outcome. "I don’t know what percent of this defeat is because we didn’t embrace the change message," he reflected.
"It's hard today," he admitted, noting his frustration with "tens of millions of people who fell for this s---." Carville's disappointment was palpable as he compared Trump to Hitler, stating, "This guy got 50 percent! You could make the argument Hitler never got 33."
He reiterated, "I’m in a very, very dark tunnel right now." Carville also highlighted underutilized Democratic talent in elections, mentioning figures like Andy Beshear and Raphael Warnock.
"There’s way more than that," he pointed out. The level of talent in the Democratic Party is high, yet he feels it hasn’t been effectively communicated. He expressed concern about the "intangible advantages" the party has over Republicans that failed to translate into success.