A Democratic strategist who once predicted the downfall of Donald Trump’s administration now believes that moment has arrived — and even sooner than he originally anticipated.
James Carville, the well-known 80-year-old political consultant, reflected on his earlier prediction during a recent interview. Just weeks after Trump returned to the White House on January 20, Carville had forecasted that Trump’s presidency would begin to unravel due to a combination of declining approval ratings, mass firings within the government, and a series of controversial executive actions.
Speaking to Mediaite’s Dan Abrams shortly after Trump completed his first month back in office, Carville pointed to polling numbers showing Trump’s approval rating had plummeted from the low 50s to the high 30s. At the time, he confidently predicted that it would take “less than 30 days” for the administration to face a major collapse, at least in terms of public opinion.
“Democrats need to play possum,” Carville advised. “This whole thing is falling apart.”
Now, just a month later, Carville says his prediction has come true — and even faster than he thought.
In a follow-up interview with CNN, Carville reacted to the latest controversy plaguing the Trump administration:
The accidental leak of military plans to The Atlantic journalist Jeffrey Goldberg via the Signal messaging app. Carville admitted he underestimated how quickly things would unravel.
He recalled previously estimating that the administration would collapse by Memorial Day (May 26), but with recent events, he quipped: “It’s before April Fool’s Day — which, frankly, should be a national holiday for this administration because it fits them perfectly.”
Carville elaborated, “Look at the markets, look at this Signal-gate scandal, look at everything happening around us — I believe the collapse has already happened.”
Still, while making it clear where he stands, Carville offered a more moderate take: “Let’s meet in the middle and say it’s collapsing — I’ll give you that much, but not more.”
When asked about polls suggesting Trump’s popularity is higher now than when he was re-elected, Carville dismissed the significance of approval ratings alone: “Poll numbers don’t win elections — votes do.”
Carville concluded by criticizing the current state of leadership, saying the country is being run by “buffoons” and reiterating, “Honestly, I thought I’d have to wait longer to see the collapse, but it happened even faster than I imagined.”
