James Carville believes President Joe Biden will “make the right decision” — and drop out of the 2024 race.
The Democratic strategist joined a growing chorus of insiders calling on Biden to step down from this year’s presidential election campaign. After publishing an op-ed in The New York Times to that end on Monday, he appeared on NewsNation to explain his reasoning.
“50 million people saw that so-called debate,” he told Cuomo. “Everybody knows what’s going on here. … We’ve seen our parents go through it, our grandparents, our aunts and uncles and neighbors and relatives. This is all a matter of time.”
Biden performed poorly during last month’s televised debate, rambling and losing his train of thought. A CNN flash poll after the event showed 67% of viewers felt Trump performed better. The White House recently denied reports that Biden has been seen by a Parkinson’s disease specialist.
“He’s going to come to the conclusion that this is just not a good idea, and he’s going to resist it, and he’s going to listen to his family,” he told Cuomo. “It’s all the same — we blame the staff, then we blame the media, then it’s ‘the elites’ in the Democratic Party.”
When reminded that Biden is still currently refusing to drop out, Carville wasn’t convinced.
“I’m just telling you it’s inevitable,” the strategist told Cuomo. “He will come to the conclusion. People will get the message to him. He will understand. His family will understand. They’ll pray on it and they’ll make the right decision.”
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Carville reportedly warned Democratic donors last week about forging ahead with Biden.
The 79-year-old suggested in his editorial Monday that the Democratic Party hold four town halls before the national convention in August, and that former Presidents Bill Clinton and Barack Obama “facilitate” these televised discussions to select a new frontrunner.
“Better to ask forgiveness than permission,” Carville told Cuomo about naming Clinton and Obama. “I just throw an idea out there. I’m just trying to stimulate what we’re doing right now, to have a conversation about the future. A future without a criminal president.”