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Democratic strategist James Carville advised Democratic leaders Thursday not to get distracted by woke issues and instead begin to stick it to President Donald Trump where it really hurts.
In the latest episode of his Politics War Room podcast, the former adviser to Bill Clinton said he believes his party should focus on hitting Trump over the excesses of his $3.3 trillion “big, beautiful bill,” and warned them not to let the Republican Party distract them with radical issues they’re on the wrong side of politically, like trans rights.
“Don’t let them go there. And the public is with you,” he said, urging his party to stay on target.
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During an episode of his podcast Thursday, Democratic strategist James Carville warned his party to focus on hitting the GOP over the “big, beautiful bill” and not get distracted by woke issues. (Screenshot/ “Politics War Room” podcast)
The strategist began by noting how opposition to the “big, beautiful bill” – which Congress passed and Trump signed earlier this month – is one of the Democratic Party’s strongest issues to run against the GOP at the moment.
“If I were the Democrats, I’d say, ‘Look, why don’t we have a campaign about issues this time,'” he said. “We’re always talking about how we have personalities. This is one of those rare moments where Republicans and Democrats agree on the topic, and that is – Is the big, beautiful bill good or bad?”
“That is an argument that the Democrats cannot lose, OK?” Carville added. “They can’t lose it.”
Trump’s legislation passed with zero support from any Democratic Party members in either chamber of Congress. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., labeled the bill “cruel” during floor remarks that lasted hours, pointing to Medicaid and SNAP reforms that reports suggest would remove millions of beneficiaries from the programs.
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House Minority Leader Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY), joined by fellow Democrats, speaks out against the One, Big, Beautiful Bill Act at a press conference outside of the U.S. Capitol on July 02, 2025 in Washington, DC. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)
“This is a rare time in American politics that we have an agreement on what the number one issue should be,” Carville said, adding, “This is a really good opportunity for Democrats to look big and talk about something that really, really matters to people.”
He also noted that if Democratic leaders focus upcoming elections on this issue, there is “no way” they can lose those.
Following those points, co-host Al Hunt argued that the GOP will start hammering radical left issues, like the trans issue, to distract from the weaknesses of their spending bill.
However, Carville said he doesn’t think Democratic figures will fall for it this time.
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“I think at this point, you’re going to look silly if you go to trans stuff, okay? I think that idea has, like, come and gone,” he said about the GOP continuing to make hay of those issues. “I think the Democrats realize they’re not going to say anything stupid on this again.”
Still, he warned the Democratic Party, “Just don’t let them take you there. They’re going to try anything they can, but don’t let them go there.”
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