Democratic strategist James Carville called on Democrats to make a "strategic political retreat" in a guest essay for The New York Times on Tuesday, telling members of his party "to play dead."
"Allow the Republicans to crumble beneath their own weight, and make the American people miss us. Only until the Trump administration has spiraled into the low 40s or high 30s in public approval polling percentages should we make like a pack of hyenas and go for the jugular. Until then, I’m calling for a strategic political retreat," he wrote.
"With no clear leader to voice our opposition and no control in any branch of government, it’s time for Democrats to embark on the most daring political maneuver in the history of our party: roll over and play dead," the strategist continued.
Carville has also recently called for the party to "play possum" amid nationwide protests against President Donald Trump and his administration's actions.
JOY BEHAR DISAGREES WITH JAMES CARVILLE SUGGESTING DEMOCRATS PLAY ‘POSSUM’ IN ANTI-TRUMP RESISTANCE
James Carville suggested Democrats 'roll over and play dead' in a NYT op-ed (Screenshot/MSNBC)
Carville compared his suggestion to a "tactical pause," and argued the Democrats needed to stop regularly playing defense against the Trump administration's actions.
"It’s a vision move — get out of the hour-to-hour, day-to-day combat where one side (ours) is largely playing defense and struggling to defend politically charged positions (like explaining D.E.I. or persuading voters to care about foreign aid), and take time to regroup, look forward and make decisions about where we want to get to over the next two years," Carville said.
He said Americans were likely not waiting around for lawmakers and commentators to make the same old arguments to criticize the president.
"They’re tired of it, and our Democratic voters are tired of watching us moan and groan to cover up our impotency out of power. They want us to be smarter than that," he added.
Carville has also recently called for the party to "play possum" amid nationwide protests against Trump and his administration's actions. (Drew Angerer/Getty Images)
"Let the Republicans crumble, let the American people see it, and wait until they need us to offer our support," the strategist continued. "It’s a wiser approach than we pursued in the first Trump Administration, when Democrats tried and failed at the art of resistance politics."
Carville similarly predicted that a Trump collapse was unfolding during an interview with Fox News' Sean Hannity.
Carville predicted former Vice President Kamala Harris would win the election in November after regularly voicing concerns that former President Joe Biden had a tough path to victory prior to him dropping out of the race.
However, he said in early February that Democrats started their "7th string quarterback" by running Harris after Biden dropped out.