James Carville tells ex-CNN host he's worried Trump will tamper with 2026 midterm elections
During an appearance on 'The Jim Acosta Show' on Tuesday, Carville told the former CNN anchor he thinks there's a major risk of Trump tampering with votes in the 2026 midterm elections to make sure the Democratic Party doesn't gain any ground to oppose his second-term agenda.
Advertisement
'In the short word, yes,' Carville said in response to Acosta repeating a viewer asking whether they believe Trump will end up 'tampering' with the midterm votes. 'In the longer words, very.'
Carville predicted that Trump is going to get worried about congressional Republicans' hold on power once he starts seeing the results of major elections over the next year or so.
'And I think what may happen, he's going to see the writing on the wall in Virginia,' Carville said, mentioning the upcoming 2025 governor's election between Republican Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears, and former Democratic congresswoman Abigail Spanberger.
3 Carville predicted that Trump is going to get worried about congressional Republicans' hold on power.
The Jim Acosta Show
Advertisement
'This is what I think is going to happen,' he continued. 'And [Trump's] going to see retirements and people are going to start coming in.'
Carville also predicted Trump would see these races and say, ''We're getting ready to lose. I gotta change and I gotta get some distance,' and he's going to see all that coming.'
'I don't put anything past him — nothing — to try to call the election off, to do anything he can. He can think of things like that, that – that, you know, we can't because we're not accustomed to thinking like that. We always assume there's going to be an election. In your case, 'How do I cover the election?' In my case, 'How do I affect the election?'' he said.
3 President Donald Trump speaks during a roundtable at 'Alligator Alcatraz,' a new migrant detention facility at Dade-Collier Training and Transition facility, Tuesday, July 1, 2025, in Ochopee, Fla.
AP
Advertisement
Carville mentioned that people often share these kinds of concerns, saying they're scared of what Trump might do.
'I say, you should be,' Carville said. 'You have every reason to be scared. Don't kid yourself.'
'This is scary s—,' Acosta, a Trump critic, responded. 'And he's already tried to steal one election before, so, I mean, what's to say he's not going to try to steal more?'
The White House fired back in a comment to Fox News Digital.
Advertisement
3 U.S. President Donald Trump speaks to reporters aboard Air Force One en route to Joint Base Andrews, Maryland, after touring a temporary migrant detention center informally known as 'Alligator Alcatraz' in Ochopee, Florida, U.S., July 1, 2025.
REUTERS
'President Trump has taken more action to restore the integrity of our elections on behalf of the American people than any president in modern history.
'According to the Democrats, voter fraud doesn't exist – but clearly they are already searching for copouts preparing to lose big again in the midterms,' spokesperson Taylor Rogers said.
Several of Carville's prior predictions about Trump didn't come to pass. Ahead of the 2024 presidential election, the former Bill Clinton advisor declared in a New York Times column that former Vice President Kamala Harris would win the presidency.
In March, Carville said that Trump's presidency had already collapsed just months into the second term.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Politico
26 minutes ago
- Politico
Black leaders feel under siege after Trump's DC takeover
None of that appears to have deterred Trump from launching his federal takeover. 'I think this is a moment for the mayor to question whether her strategy, which has been appeasement, has been a success,' said Paul Butler, a Georgetown law professor and former federal prosecutor. He described Trump's actions as a 'bogus declaration' but suggested there is likely little reprieve D.C. officials will gain trying to challenge the president's declaration in court. 'While the court reviews whether he appropriately has this power, the Supreme Court and other lower courts [have] generally allowed him to … proceed with what he wants to do, until they get around to deciding the case,' Butler added. 'It opens the doors to further militarization of the police, not just in the District, but in the other cities that he named.' New York City mayor Eric Adams on addressed the possibility of Trump deploying federal assets to his own city following a string of shootings over the weekend that left at least two dead and eight injured. 'When you have those high profile shootings it sends a signal sometimes across the country that we're dealing with a crime issue in New York, and we're not,' Adams said Tuesday. 'I'm not part of the group that says we don't want to work with the federal government, but we don't need anyone to come in and take over our law enforcement apparatus. We've got this under control.' National Guard troops arrive at the District of Columbia National Guard Headquarters, Tuesday, Aug. 12, 2025, in Washington. | Julia Demaree Nikhinson/AP Trump has ignored the wishes of local officials and deployed federal troops in recent weeks. During the height of federal immigration raids in Los Angeles, which sparked protests that turned violent, Trump federalized some 2,000 California Guard troops against the objections of Mayor Karen Bass, who is Black, and California Gov. Gavin Newsom. Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott told The Recast that Trump's actions in D.C. and his singling out of other Black-led jurisdictions, including his own, is nothing more than a 'diversion and distraction tactic' to shift the focus from a volatile economic climate and the release of materials associated with Jeffrey Epstein, the disgraced financier and convicted sex offender.
Politico
26 minutes ago
- Politico
White House announces Smithsonian review amid Trump's cultural reckoning
The review aims to adjust not only the museums' public exhibitions, planning and curation, but also narrative standards and collection use. The move is the latest in a sweeping effort by the Trump administration to overhaul how American history and culture is taught and presented in institutions across the country — from universities to museums to Washington's Kennedy Center for the performing arts. The letter outlines that within 30 days, eight Smithsonian museums should select a representative to liaise with the administration and provide a list of selected materials for review. Within 120 days, the museums will have a set window to institute any changes sought by the administration, 'replacing divisive or ideologically driven language with unifying, historically accurate, and constructive descriptions.' Still, the administration officials maintained that their goal 'is not to interfere with the day-to-day operations of curators or staff, but rather to support a broader vision of excellence that highlights historically accurate, uplifting, and inclusive portrayals of America's heritage.' The initial phase of the project will target the National Museum of American History, National Museum of Natural History, National Museum of African American History and Culture, National Museum of the American Indian, National Air and Space Museum, Smithsonian American Art Museum, National Portrait Gallery and Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden. The administration officials said the museum network should promote the idea of 'Americanism — the people, principles, and progress that define our nation,' in order to 'renew the Smithsonian's role as the world's leading museum institution.' 'Phase II' of the review will involve an additional list of museums, the letter previewed. A spokesperson for the Smithsonian did not respond to a request for comment. Trump has specifically targeted the Smithsonian Institution, singling it out in a March executive order on 'restoring truth and sanity to American history.' The president railed against the network of museums, saying it had 'come under the influence of a divisive, race-centered ideology' and its various branches 'portray American and Western values as inherently harmful and oppressive.'
Miami Herald
27 minutes ago
- Miami Herald
Why did Miami lose $60 million for a park that promised so much?
Thanks to the Big Beautiful Bill — passed with help from Miami's own Republican members of Congress — the city just lost $60 million in federal grant money that was supposed to pay for a park. It wasn't just any park. It was a 33-acre expanse known as the Underdeck that, if successful, would have helped heal some of the damage to our community caused by construction of Interstate 95 in the 1960s, when the highway was built right through the once-thriving Black community of Overtown. Overtown was never the same after that. Constructing this park — officially named the Rev. Edward T. Graham Greenway after after the former Mt. Zion Baptist Church pastor and civil rights activist — was an effort to right an old wrong. That's especially important in a place like Miami, where we struggle with civic engagement. Reunifying land once divided in the name of progress would be a step in the right direction. The park is supposed to be a key component of the Signature Bridge road project, that never-ending construction zone where Interstates 95 and 395 meet, north of downtown, that's been tying up traffic for more than six years — so far. We just learned from the Florida Department of Transportation that completion has been pushed back yet again, this time to late 2029, and the cost has risen to an estimated $866 million. (When construction began in 2019, the Signature Bridge project — the one with those enormous decorative arches designed to evoke a fountain — was supposed to be finished in 2023 and cost about $800 million. Anyone want to bet on when it will actually get done and what it will cost by the time it is finished?) It remains to be seen how much these seemingly endless road improvements actually help our famously bad traffic. Unfortunately, weeks of requests by the Editorial Board for more information from FDOT about the project were fruitless. Even if the Signature Bridge isn't a game changer for Miami traffic and even if the 'iconic' arches don't really improve Miami's iconic skyline — we have our doubts — the park proposal felt like something different, something tangible for taxpayers who too often are sidelined in big government projects. The park was a reward for suffering through the road improvements. The land, carved from reclaimed and forgotten property under roadways set to be elevated when construction is complete, could be a wonderful park. It would stretch from Overtown to Biscayne Bay and include a mile-long Heritage Trail. With this park, residents would have that all-too-rare thing in Miami: open space in the heart of the city. Done right, it could have echoed the successes of the similarly named but unrelated Underline, a 10-mile linear park that has partially opened under Metrorail tracks south of the Miami River. That stretch, with native plants and a bike and walking trail, has been a real win for Miami-Dade County. Just last year, prospects for the Underdeck park looked bright. The funding was included in a Biden administration initiative called called the Neighborhood Access and Equity (NAE) program, aimed at reversing damage done by highways built decades ago. It was part of a $3 billion 'Reconnecting Communities' program. Then came the fervor among Republicans to undo all things related to former President Biden. The Big Beautiful Bill pushed by President Trump was passed. And so a park that could have been a rare and much-needed asset for Miami became another sad casualty of politics. There is still a little hope. A spokesperson for the city of Miami told the Editorial Board that the 'unexpected loss of funding' poses a significant challenge but the city is 'exploring alternative funding options to move forward without delay.' And Miami Commission Chair Christine King, whose district includes the park site, told the Board that she is 'committed to seeing this project through to completion, even if that extends beyond the expected 2026 finish date.' South Florida, she said, has a strong track record of 'public-private partnerships coming together for the benefit of our community, especially in times of great need.' 'Giving up,' she added, 'is not an option.' For some, the loss of a park we never had won't seem like much to bother about. But building a community is about more than roads and high-rises and sports arenas. It's about quality of life. It's about how the place makes you feel. And this park, for what it symbolizes and for the rare physical asset it could be, is worth fighting for.
