James Carville says ‘power’s going out of Trump by the minute’ as approval ratings continue to fall

James Carville said President Donald Trump’s approval is falling fast as new Gallup data shows him at 36%, his weakest rating since early 2021
James Carville said Donald Trump’s ability to get things done was over and predicted Democrats would control Congress as Trump’s power faded (@MikeSington/X, Getty Images)
James Carville said Donald Trump’s ability to get things done was over and predicted Democrats would control Congress as Trump’s power faded (@MikeSington/X, Getty Images)


NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA: Democratic strategist James Carville didn’t hold back when talking about President Donald Trump. He said Trump’s approval rating is dropping fast. His comments came after Gallup released a new poll showing Trump at his lowest rating since the end of his first term.

“I don’t know how much lower you can go,” Carville said during a podcast. He added, "The power’s going out of Trump by the minute."

Gallup’s new survey puts Trump at a 36 per cent approval rating, the weakest he’s seen since right after the January 6, 2021 attack on the US Capitol.

U.S. President Donald Trump listens during a Cabinet meeting at the White House on February 26, 2025 in Washington, DC. Trump is holding the first Cabinet meeting of his second term, joined by Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk, head of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). (Photo by Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)
President Donald Trump listens during a Cabinet meeting at the White House on February 26, 2025 in Washington, DC. Trump is holding the first Cabinet meeting of his second term, joined by Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk, head of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)

James Carville warns Trump’s political influence is rapidly fading

On Tuesday, December 2, during an episode of 'The Daily Beast Podcast' with Joanna Coles, James Carville was blunt. “I think his presidency, in terms of, like, getting anything significantly done, is over,” he said.

He also argued that Donald Trump is “definitely going to deal with a Democratic House (after 2026),” and that a Democratic Senate is “more than likely.” Later in the episode, Carville doubled down: “The power’s going out of Trump by the minute,” he said. “You can just feel it oozing out.”

NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE - OCTOBER 26: James Carville speaks onstage during the 2019 Politicon at Music City Center on October 26, 2019 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Jason Kempin/Getty Images for Politicon )
 James Carville speaks onstage during the 2019 Politicon at Music City Center on October 26, 2019 in Nashville, Tennessee (Jason Kempin/Getty Images for Politicon )

“President Trump has done nothing to curb the cost of what it requires to take even a breath in America today, the centerpiece promise of his 2024 campaign. The people are revolting, and they have been for some time."

"This offers Democrats the greatest gift you can have in American politics: a second chance," he concluded. He grew more frustrated the longer he talked about what’s going on in the country. He said that America is reaching a point where economic frustration could fuel a major political upset. "The French Revolution is in the American wind."

Carville went on to say, “While the stock market soars, Mr Trump and decades of corrupt and morally bankrupt Republican economic agendas have splintered the very heart of the American economy."

"The few are getting vastly richer while a crushing tide drowns the many. Yet even as Mr Trump’s approval sinks to a low point of his second term, Republicans continue to place their faith in an economy built on pillars of sand, while the people scrape by day after day.”

Trump’s approval lags behind Obama and Biden in historical comparison

4/1946: President Harry S. Truman seated at his desk holding a pencil. (Getty Images)
Harry S Truman holds that record with a 22 per cent approval rating in February 1952 (Getty Images)

Although Donald Trump’s approval rating is low in the latest Gallup numbers, it is not the lowest a president has ever received; Harry S Truman holds that record with a 22 per cent approval rating in February 1952.

For comparison, Barack Obama finished his presidency with an average approval rating of about 48 per cent, while Joe Biden’s four-year average was roughly 42 per cent, according to Gallup.

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