James Carville, the wily Cajun “Sage of the South” who oversaw Democrat Bill Clinton’s successful campaign to defeat establishment Republican President George W. Bush has since become one of the senior wisemen of the Democratic Party and a fixture on the political news circuit.
Mr. Carville may be best remembered for his constant reminder to the Clinton campaign that “It’s the economy, stupid!”
Carville touted the prospects of a Harris win during the campaign, although he said he wasn’t a fan of some of her strategy. After Harris’s defeat he was more honest than most Democrats about why Harris lost.
In post-Election Day comments Carville was correctly critical of the Harris campaign’s emphasis on the “woke” agenda of transgender ideology, special rights for homosexuals, open borders and the whole panoply of unpopular Far Left causes embraced by Democrats since Obama vowed to fundamentally transform America.
“These people were just useless,” he moaned about certain progressive activist groups during the last election cycle. “They’re actually worse than useless, they’re detrimental. And they never, ever learn to shut up.”
After the inauguration the wily Cajun invoked some homespun southern wisdom encouraging Democrats to “play possum” and not engage with President Trump on every issue, suggesting that the new President would “punch himself out” as he rolled out his vast agenda to remake the federal government. Said Mr. Carville:
I'm telling Democrats, just sit there playing possum, let them go, let them go, let them go. The poll numbers are declining, the collapse is already underway.
However, over the weekend Carville made a prediction that is so contrary to the facts on the ground, we began to wonder if the “Sage of the South” might have lost it.
The Trump administration will "collapse" within 30 days, said Carville. "It's collapsing right now. We're in the midst of a collapse," Carville told Mediaite founder Dan Abrams on his podcast, The Dan Abrams Show, Friday.
The evidence Mr. Carville cited to back up his prediction was the Real Clear Politics polling average of President Trump’s approval rating, which as shown a slight decline from Inauguration Day.
"I believe that this administration, in less than 30 days is in the midst of a massive collapse, in particularly a collapse in public opinion," Carville reiterated to Abrams.
Later in the podcast he walked back his timeline saying, “It’s going to be easy pickings here in six weeks,” addressing Democrats. “Just lay back. “We’re in the middle of a collapse. It’s over.”
The problem with Mr. Carville’s “evidence” for an imminent collapse is that, while President Trump’s approval rating may be down a little from Inauguration Day, his policies remain incredibly popular.
A new poll by Harvard CAPS-Harris found in his first month as President, Trump enjoys majority approval at 52%. The poll also reveals the majority of the country backs President Trump and his actions to bring much-needed reforms that are making America great again.
Americans overwhelmingly support President Trump’s agenda:
81% support deporting criminal illegal immigrants.
76% support a “full-scale effort to find and eliminate fraud and waste in government.”
76% support closing the border with additional security and policies.
69% support keeping men out of women’s sports.
68% support government declaring there are only two genders.
65% support ending race-based hiring in government.
63% support “freezing and re-evaluating all foreign aid expenditures and the department that handled them.”
61% support reciprocal tariffs.
60% support direct U.S. negotiations with Russia to end the war in Ukraine.
59% support cutting government spending already approved by Congress.
7% support ending the ban on new offshore drilling.
Most Americans approve of President Trump’s job performance — including pluralities of men, women, independents, and Americans who live in urban, suburban, and rural areas — while almost six-in-ten say he’s doing a better job than President Biden.
Almost half of Americans believe the U.S. economy is “strong” under President Trump — the highest number since 2021 — while a plurality say his policies will make them “financially better off.”
Americans are significantly more optimistic about the direction of the country, with those who say we’re on the right track up 14 points over last month.
Americans strongly support President Trump’s effort to root out waste, fraud, and abuse in government.
77% support a “full examination of all government expenditures.”
72% agree there should be a government agency “focused on efficiency.”
70% say government is “filled with waste, fraud, and inefficiency.”
Two-thirds say Congress should join the “effort to reduce government expenditures.”
60% believe the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) is “helping make major cuts in government expenditures.”
Americans back President Trump’s action to protect American workers.
61% support reciprocal tariffs.
57% say tariffs are an “effective foreign and economic policy tool.”
54% say tariffs will help get “concessions from other countries.”
President Trump, Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, and Attorney General Pam Bondi all enjoy net positive favorability.
Contrary to James Carville’s predictions, we’re not seeing evidence of imminent collapse in an administration with 52 percent approval and whose marquee agenda items poll above 60 percent.
2024 Election
MAGA Agenda
James Carville
DOGE
Department of Government Efficiency
Attorney General Pam Bondi’s Chief of Staff Chad Mizelle
Attorney General Pam Bondi
Transgenders in the military
Trump Administration
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth
Judge Ana Reyes
LGBTQ agenda