Democratic political strategist James Carville issued a warning to President Donald Trump regarding the stability of his administration following this year's midterms. The discussion took place on Carville's "Politics War Room" podcast.
Carville was discussing the forthcoming book titled "Regime Change," which is being written by New York Times reporters Maggie Haberman and Jonathan Swan. He stated that the depth of reporting found in the book indicated that the White House was leaking information.
In his warning, Carville cautioned President Trump with the statement: "Don't trust anybody." He alleged that administration staff possessed recordings, stating, "They got tapes – everybody." Additionally, he claimed regarding the behavior of personnel within the administration: "Everybody in the administration is sh--ing all over you," adding that they were merely getting warmed up.
Carville predicted a shift in dynamics for the White House during the second half of President Trump's term. He described this potential future as follows: "The White House could become a pit of vipers." This prediction specifically referred to the period after November, which corresponds to the upcoming midterm elections.
According to Carville, personnel within the administration will realize that their careers are effectively over following the election in November. He noted regarding career prospects: "The other effect that comes after November is these people will re[alize]..." and implied that future employment opportunities for those leaving would be scarce.
Carville advised current staff members on how to position themselves historically if they wished to leave the administration positively. He stated, "No one's going to want to hire anybody out of the Trump administration." To counter this, he suggested: "The way that you get right with history is start leaking and you position yourself as a person that tried to tell them." He elaborated on his advice for those working in the White House: "Leak like a sieve, leak like a broken faucet – leak everywhere. You're already leaking. Everybody's leaking on you. Everybody's leaking on everybody else."
Carville reiterated his primary message regarding trust within the administration: "Trust no one." He added that this was advice applicable to anyone working in the White House.
In a direct address to President Trump, Carville concluded with an assessment of the situation he observed. He told the president: "Be scared. Be very afraid. That's what I see," referring specifically to the environment within his administration.