James Carville’s tune has greatly changed over the past few months. Earlier in the year, New Conservative Post wrote that it’s not very often that James Carville will endorse a Trump for anything, but recently the longtime Democratic political operative announced he’s backing Lara Trump as the new co-chair of the Republican National Committee.
“Please put Lara Trump over there,” Carville told MSNBC’s Jen Psaki on Monday. “Please steal every dollar you can get. Every one of these Republican state parties — Michigan, Arizona, all over the country — are falling apart, fighting with each other, underfunded.”
“We have the advantage, Jen,” he said. “Press, press, press, press. Now.”
“Please put Lara Trump over there. Please steal every dollar you can get.” @JamesCarville on shakeup at the RNC. pic.twitter.com/ZvmNfI06GO
— Inside with Jen Psaki (@InsideWithPsaki) February 27, 2024
Now, with Trump victorious and Republicans in charge of the House and Senate, the Clinton campaign leader has issued a stark warning about the lasting damage caused by Vice President Kamala Harris’ short-lived but exorbitantly expensive 2024 presidential campaign. Speaking on his podcast, “Politics War Room,” Carville described the Democratic Party’s reputation as “profoundly damaged” due to record-breaking spending during the election cycle.
Harris launched her campaign on July 21, heavily backed by the Democratic National Committee and aligned super PACs. Reports revealed the campaign accumulated nearly $1.5 billion in expenses, with Future Forward, her primary super PAC, raising over $900 million—a record-breaking figure for external political groups in a single election cycle. Combined, the campaign’s total spending surpassed $2.5 billion. Carville criticized the financial strategy, stating, “The resistance is going to struggle to raise money. Donors are exhausted. The harm this campaign inflicted on the Democratic brand is almost incomprehensible.”
Carville called for a full financial audit to rebuild trust and ensure transparency, wrote The Daily Caller, urging the DNC, Harris’ campaign, and Future Forward to undergo detailed financial reviews. He raised concerns about the heavy involvement of lobbyists and the lack of oversight for such massive expenditures. “Does anyone even know where all that money went? I have a few places I’d start looking,” he said, underscoring the need for accountability.
The fallout within the Democratic Party has been swift and intense. During a donor call, Lindy Li, a member of the DNC National Finance Committee, expressed frustration over the lack of responsibility taken for the campaign’s failures. “I can’t remember anyone stepping up to explain how we spent nearly $2 billion across the super PAC and the campaign, only to fall so short,” she said. Li criticized the absence of a post-mortem analysis to identify mistakes and plan for future improvements, adding, “Instead of an honest assessment, it felt like everyone was just congratulating themselves for I’m not sure what.”
Prominent Democratic donor John Morgan was even more blunt in his criticism, arguing that Harris’ mismanagement of campaign finances should disqualify her from future leadership roles. “If you can’t run a campaign, you can’t run the country,” Morgan said. “It was an absolute disaster.”
Carville also warned of the challenges this mismanagement has created for future Democratic fundraising efforts, suggesting that donors will be hesitant to contribute without evidence of improved financial accountability. He hinted at potential changes in party leadership, though he confirmed he has no plans to involve himself directly despite being approached about running for DNC chair.
The current chairman, Jaime Harrison, announced he would not seek another term. He is currently under fire for mismanaging the party while having a documentary film crew follow him around for the second half of 2024.
