James Carville Doubles Down, Tells Ilhan Omar to Leave Democratic Party
james carville doubled down on his criticism of Rep. Ilhan Omar, repeating the line from a May 2025 Politics War Room video — "Lady, why don’t you just get out of the Democratic Party" — and urging her to "start your own movement. "
James Carville pressed his case on SiriusXM
james carville made the remarks again during an interview on Stephen A. Smith’s SiriusXM show on Wednesday, where Smith asked about the May 2025 video and Carville reiterated that Omar should leave the party and caucus with Democrats if she forms a separate political vehicle.
A 2018 Al Jazeera remark at the center of the squabble
Carville’s comments were a response to an interview Rep. Ilhan Omar gave in February 2018 to Al Jazeera, in which she said, "our country should be more fearful of white men because they’re causing most of the deaths within this country. "
On the SiriusXM interview, Carville framed his critique with electoral math he cited from 2024: "In 2024, 72% of the people that voted were white. All right? Of that 72, probably 48% or 48 and a half, were male... about 33% of the people that are gonna vote are gonna be white males. Well, it’s stupid to attack 33% of the voters. "
What he said she should do instead
Carville suggested Omar follow the path of others on the left: "Why don’t you be a Democratic Socialist of America? Do what AOC did, " he said on the program, adding that she could win policy influence by joining a governing coalition while not being part of the party’s electoral coalition.
He also called certain lawmakers "more trouble than they’re worth" and warned emphatically that "you win an election without white males" was unrealistic, calling that idea "literally mathematical insanity, cultural insanity. "
Pushback and commentary
Commentary included disagreement over Carville’s framing: some critics argued the 2018 remark was being taken out of context and challenged his characterization of Omar’s comments. Carville responded on air with broader objections to generalized labels, saying, "All White people are not the same. All Black people are not the same. All Hispanic people are not the same… They're very different values, very different everything. "
Carville's intervention invoked other progressive figures by name, and his recommendation that Omar form a separate movement referenced the strategy of Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez as an example of operating inside a broader left coalition.
The remarks trace back to a May 2025 Politics War Room clip and were repeated on Stephen A. Smith’s show on Wednesday; the available coverage does not list further scheduled appearances or a follow-up statement from either Carville or Omar.
