James Carville accuses Trump of using Venezuela raid to distract from Epstein fallout: 'Wake up!'

James Carville argued that the Venezuela operation was meant to distract from Epstein files and looming health care costs
PUBLISHED JAN 4, 2026
James Carville claimed in his 'Politics War Room' podcast that President Donald Trump used Venezuela to shift focus from Epstein-related scandals and public scrutiny (Politicon/YouTube)
James Carville claimed in his 'Politics War Room' podcast that President Donald Trump used Venezuela to shift focus from Epstein-related scandals and public scrutiny (Politicon/YouTube)


NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA: Veteran Democratic strategist James Carville discussed the Trump administration’s decision to strike Venezuela and capture Nicolas Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores, on Saturday, January 3. 

Carville believed that Donald Trump was misleading the nation by claiming that he wanted to rid the nation of harmful illegal substances and punish those who were killing Americans by supplying such substances.

The democrat argued that the “real reason” behind the strike was to distract the public from other important issues, such as the Epstein files.  

BEVERLY HILLS, CA - DECEMBER 11: James Carville attends the Sports Illustrated Sportsperson Of The Year Awards at The Beverly Hilton Hotel on December 11, 2018 in Beverly Hills, California. (Photo by Gregg DeGuire/Getty Images)
James Carville attends the Sports Illustrated Sportsperson Of The Year Awards at The Beverly Hilton Hotel on December 11, 2018, in Beverly Hills, California (Gregg DeGuire/Getty Images)

James Carville calls Venezuelan strike a 'diversionary tactic'

The veteran democratic strategist commented on the US military strike against Venezuela on the latest episode of 'Politics War Room'.

He questioned the Trump administration’s decision to raid Venezuela and said that while he was watching the continuous coverage, he wondered what was wrong with “people” for not questioning the strike.

Carville questioned whether people wondered what Trump’s objective was, claiming that they already knew the answer.

Donald Trump, his wife Melania Trump, and the late financier Jeffrey Epstein and his longtime partner Ghislaine Maxwell (Getty Images)
Donald Trump, his wife, Melania Trump, and the late financier Jeffrey Epstein and his longtime partner, Ghislaine Maxwell (Getty Images)

“It’s Jeffrey Epstein,” he added. 

Carville argued that the Trump administration was getting ready to file “millions of documents.” The strategist added that there were other issues that the government was attempting to bury under the rug.

“The health care subsidies. People getting the bill. They’re going out of his mind — in his reptilian survival way,” he added.

The strategist chimed in on the Republicans’ reaction to the strike, saying that they treated it like it was legitimate. He also commented on the “chin scratchers” reaction, seemingly talking about other Democrats.

U.S. President Donald Trump takes a question from a reporter in the Roosevelt Room of the White House on March 3, 2025 in Washington, DC. Trump announced that Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, one of the largest manufacturers of semiconductor chips, plans to invest $100 billion in new manufacturing facilities in the United States. (Photo by Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)
President Donald Trump takes a question from a reporter in the Roosevelt Room of the White House on March 3, 2025, in Washington, DC (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)

Referring to some representatives criticizing the lack of Congressional approval for the Venezuela strike, and them wanting to address it in the Supreme Court, Carville called them “crazy.” 

He urged people to "wake up" if they thought anything about what Trump did in Venezuela was “remotely legit.”

“This is in furtherance of some foreign policy aim, or some aim of American interests, come on, please,” he said.

He added that people needed to think beyond what they were able to see and called the Venezuelan strike a “giant diversionary tactic.”

CARACAS, VENEZUELA - JULY 5: President of Venezuela Nicolas Maduro arrives for the military parade as part of 214th anniversary of Venezuela's independence celebrations on July 5, 2025 in Caracas, Venezuela. (Photo by Jesus Vargas/Getty Images)
President of Venezuela Nicolas Maduro arrives for the military parade as part of the 214th anniversary of Venezuela's independence celebrations on July 5, 2025, in Caracas, Venezuela (Jesus Vargas/Getty Images)

James Carville slams Trump for capturing Nicolas Maduro 

In the clip, James Carville accused the president of not thinking the situation through, noting that he hadn’t considered the possible consequences of the strike and the capture of Nicolas Maduro. 

He further called Donald Trump out for criticizing Vladimir Putin for trying to “illegally” invade Ukraine.

“Well, our case got a little bit weaker now, didn’t it?”

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