James Carville Says a ‘Very Powerful’ Person is Behind Trump’s Cabinet Picks: “40 Times More…”

Democratic strategist James Carville has raised concerns about a powerful figure influencing President-elect Donald Trump’s Cabinet nominations. During an appearance on MSNBC’s The Beat with Ari Melber , Carville dismissed claims that former Trump adviser Steve Bannon was behind the controversial picks. Instead, he pointed to someone he described as far more clever and connected. “Steve Bannon does not drive this,” Carville stated. “One person is driving this, I promise you. And it’s Tucker Carlson . Tucker’s an old friend of mine.”

According to HuffPost , Carville, who once sparred with Carlson on CNN’s Crossfire , emphasized Carlson’s strategic influence, describing him as “40 times more clever than Steve Bannon” and “40 times more connected.” He further noted Carlson’s ties to tech mogul Elon Musk , calling him a “very bright man who should not be underrated.”

Carville’s comments came in response to MSNBC journalist Jonathan Lemire discussing Trump’s nomination of Kash Patel as FBI director . Patel, a staunch Trump ally and vocal critic of the Justice Department, has been described as ‘profoundly unqualified’ by former FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe. Patel previously supported Trump during his impeachment investigation and advocated for sweeping changes within federal agencies . Carville argued that Patel’s nomination, alongside other contentious picks, underscores Carlson’s influence. “This is not Steve Bannon’s doing,” Carville reiterated. “This is Tucker Carlson, and the Kash Patel pick proves it.”

“Everything that I see is the same thing I heard in the green room in 2002,” Carville said, referring to his past experiences with Carlson. Other nominations under scrutiny include Pete Hegseth for defense secretary, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. for health and human services secretary, and, initially, Matt Gaetz for attorney general. Gaetz withdrew his name following allegations of sexual misconduct and drug use, which he denies, as per NBC News . Critics have raised concerns about Hegseth’s suitability for the role, citing his alignment with far-right ideologies and previous misconduct allegations, but Carville argued that these choices reflect Carlson’s deep ties within Trump’s inner circle.

Carville also addressed an erroneous claim he made during the segment in which he suggested a business partnership between Carlson and Patel, as reported by The Daily Beast . The connection he referenced was actually with Neil Patel, co-founder of The Daily Caller. Neil later posted online, criticizing Carville for the mix-up. However, this error did not deter Carville from reiterating his broader point about Carlson’s unparalleled influence. “Tucker is very, very, very powerful,” Carville emphasized.

“He has more influence in this current administration—way more than Vernon Jordan had in the Clinton administration or any of the wise men that were around.” He also spoke about Trump tapping Musk to co-lead the newly proposed Department of Government Efficiency, a move reportedly motivated by the tech mogul’s substantial campaign donations.