James Carville warns Dems against impeaching Trump if they win control in midterms
Veteran Democratic strategist James Carville urged Democrats to avoid pursuing a third impeachment of President Donald Trump if the party wins control of the House of Representatives in November, arguing it would be "highly unlikely" to succeed.
On the "Politics War Room" podcast on Thursday Carville and his co-host Al Hunt argued that impeachment would be a waste of time and Democrats should devote their energy to investigating the president instead.
"I’ll tell you one thing that I think Democrats should steer clear of, and that’s impeachment," Hunt said. "It’s not that Trump has not committed impeachable offenses, far worse than what he was accused of back in 2019 with Ukraine. I mean, he has. I mean, you could come up with a bill of particulars of, you know, a dozen at least. But you know something, James? It’s not going to happen, and it is a distraction."
"It is a waste of energy," Hunt, like other Democrats, warned further. "Investigate, investigate, investigate. Don’t go on a mission that isn’t going to succeed."
James Carville attends the New York Times DealBook Summit 2025 at Jazz at Lincoln Center on December 03, 2025, in New York City. (David Dee Delgado/Getty Images for The New York Times)
Carville agreed, arguing that the Supreme Court is protecting Trump from the consequences of his actions.
"So, you investigate, and of course what you’re going to find — and you’re going to find it quickly — is overwhelming evidence of criminal activity. Now, of course, he can’t commit a crime according to the Supreme Court because, well, he’s above the law," Carville lamented.
"But suppose you say, ‘This is incontrovertible proof. We got to do something about this. How can he stay in office?’ And impeachment would be a very difficult thing," Carville warned. "It’s time-consuming. It’s highly unlikely to be anything because of the — you need so many votes in the Senate. But we’re going to find out a whole bunch of stuff really fast at the beginning of the year 2027. I promise you."
"Well, I agree. I might quibble with ‘very fast’ because I think investigations got to be thorough. They got to be really — some of them are actually going to take a while," Hunt replied. "They’re going to build a case, but we’re going to find them out. You’re absolutely right about that. And I am only against impeachment because I think it’s not going to succeed and will be a distraction."
President Donald Trump has already been impeached twice, which is unprecedented for the United States. (Win McNamee/Getty Images)
Fox News Digital spoke to former Democratic advisor Dan Turrentine, who suggested Carville and Hunt are spot-on.
"Al and James are right. To paraphrase James, it’s a simple math issue, stupid. Unless something truly unimaginable [happens], there will not be 67 votes in the Senate to convict. And the public is not there, either," Turrentine said. "If we win the majority, the voters that delivered it are clear, they want us laser focused on their lives, the issues they care about. We should conduct appropriate oversight and let history and 2028 be the accountability. "
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Veteran Democratic strategist James Carville suggested that while there would be plenty of evidence of wrongdoing by President Donald Trump, a motion to impeach him would be a costly distraction. (Cindy Ord/Getty Images for SCAD)
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The White House did not immediately return Fox News Digital's request for comment.
Alexander Hall is an associate editor for Fox News Digital. Story tips can be sent to Alexander.hall@fox.com.
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