James Carville at Politicon 2016 at the Pasadena Convention Center in Southern California (Creative Commons)
President Donald Trump will leave power of his own accord if one thing happens, argues a longtime political expert — and that one thing is very much in the American people’s control.
“We’re looking to achieve a staggering, breathtaking, comprehensive, and total defeat of Trumpism. I think we can do that,” longtime Democratic strategist James Carville told Politicon on Tuesday. “But it requires all of us pushing in the same direction.”
Carville argued that, instead of rejecting the claim of having “Trump Derangement Syndrome,” the president’s opponents should embrace that label because it will help motivate them to vote for Democrats in the 2026 midterm elections.
“And you who are joining me on this podcast, you have it, and I’m proud of you, and you should be proud of yourself,” Carville continued. He then said that “better things are coming” precisely because he anticipates Democrats retaking at least the House of Representatives during the elections, which will allow them to hold Trump accountable. When they do so, Carville predicted, Trump will ultimately want to quit.
“And I think better things are coming because I think if he has still got his wits about him—and I hope he does—he’ll get the f--k out of there and leave, because his life is gonna be so godd--n miserable, he won’t know what to do," Carville argued.
Experts share Carville’s assessment. Speaking to AlterNet, one political polling expert anticipated that Democrats are poised to retake at least the lower chamber of Congress despite Republican redistricting efforts.
"We think Democrats are still favored to win the House, even though Republicans have helped themselves through redistricting," Kyle Kondik, Managing Editor at Sabato’s Crystal Ball, told AlterNet. "The national environment just seems like it'll be enough to push Democrats to the majority."
Carville has repeatedly called for Americans to unite behind the Democrats in the upcoming midterm elections as a way of reining in Trump, who he characterizes as an unhinged and anti-democratic president.
“You’re gonna win the presidency in 2028 and it’s a pretty good chance you control both the House and Senate,” Carville said in September, arguing about the GOP that “every time they get into power, they try to cut taxes for rich people and cut healthcare access to middle class people. They’ve done what you thought they were going to do.”
He concluded, “They can call that bill anything they want, it was still the most negatively viewed piece of domestic legislation in this century I think.”