Veteran Democratic strategist James Carville is sounding the alarm — for Republicans. In a fiery appearance on CNN’s Anderson Cooper 360 Thursday, Carville slammed the newly passed Republican tax and spending package, declaring it would become a political disaster for the GOP.
“This bill is going to go down in history as a mass extinction event,” Carville said. “We’re going to pick up more than 40 House seats in 2026.”
Carville praised Democratic unity against what he called a deeply unpopular bill, noting that every House Democrat — regardless of ideology or background — voted against it. “We’re all united on this,” he said. “We can campaign on this one issue straight through 2026.”
Referencing polling data, Carville claimed the political backlash is already showing up. “The Democrat in New Jersey is up 20 points in a state we barely won four years ago,” he noted. “Political anthropologists will look back and say this was the moment Republicans doomed themselves.”
The legislation — nicknamed the “big, beautiful bill” by President Trump — passed the House on Thursday in a narrow 218–214 vote. It includes a full extension of the 2017 Trump tax cuts, deep cuts to Medicaid, and other conservative spending priorities. All but two Republicans — Reps. Thomas Massie (Ky.) and Brian Fitzpatrick (Pa.) — supported the bill, while Democrats unanimously opposed it.
Trump wasted no time celebrating the passage during a rally in Iowa, where he railed against Democrats for voting no.
“They hate me, and I hate them too,” Trump told the crowd. “Not one Democrat supported rebuilding our military or cutting taxes. But we’ll remind voters of that in the midterms.”
Carville said the bill is already polling 25 to 26 points underwater — and that’s before Democrats fully mobilize their messaging campaign.
“We haven’t even started educating the public on what’s in this bill,” he said. “Once we do, Republicans are going to feel the heat — and it’s going to cost them.”
