James Carville: Why Joe Biden’s Tragic and ‘Knows He F***ed up’
The Democratic strategist suggested that Biden could have avoided having to pardon his son if he had played his cards better.

The Daily Beast/Getty
James Carville, the veteran Democratic strategist, called Joe Biden “the most tragic figure in American politics” Friday, suggesting that had the president bowed out earlier, a Democrat would have won.
During the latest episode of his podcast Politics War Room, Carville said that Biden “knows he f---ed up” by deciding to stay in the race, before letting Kamala Harris step in late in the cycle in the wake of his disastrous debate with Donald Trump.
“The most tragic figure in American politics in my lifetime is President Biden,” Carville said.
“The different scenario would be, if he would have in September of 2023 or August said that he wasn’t going to run, godd--n, we would have won this election,” Carville added. “And it wouldn’t have been that close because we would have had so many frickin’ talented people that were running.”
ADVERTISEMENT
Had that happened and a Democrat won, Biden would be leaving office on a “high note” right now, according to Carville, who spearheaded the strategy for Bill Clinton’s successful 1992 presidential campaign.
“He would be the toast of Washington,” Carville said. “It would be a Democratic inauguration coming up, and a new Democratic president could have gotten away with commuting any sentence that Hunter Biden got. And it would have been minimal—there would have been some pushback, but, you know: ‘In the interest of the Biden family and President Biden’s long and distinguished service to the community, I’m going to commute the sentence.’”
Carville lamented that Biden’s problems are “all so f---ing self-inflicted.”
Sign Up for The Swamp Newsletter
By clicking “SUBSCRIBE” you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
“I actually feel for Biden, and he knows that he f---ed up,” he added. “And he wasn’t crooked, he didn’t pursue bad policies, he is the most tolerant, loving, caring, non-prejudiced person you could imagine and this is what he’s faced with. It’s a f---ing shame.”
Despite singling out Biden in this instance, Carville has also been highly critical of the campaign run by Harris after she took over as the Democratic nominee.
Register below to read this article for free or subscribe
to unlock unlimited access to The Daily Beast.
Monthly
$1
First month then $5.99/month
Annual
$35
First year then $59.99/year
Premium
$79
First year then $119.99/year
*Substack access provided by the next business day, using your subscription email. Choosing the Premium plan constitutes your permission to share your subscription email with Substack and your agreement to Substack’s Privacy Policy.
Already have an account? Sign In
Looks like you already have a subscription!
- Account (completed)
- Payment (completed)
- Confirmation (completed)
You're all set!
Thanks for subscribing.
- 1Account
- 2Payment
- 3Confirmation

