Democratic strategist James Carville has singled out Tucker Carlson as a key influence behind President-elect Donald Trump’s cabinet choices.
inside segment Carville sat down with host Ari Melber on MSNBC’s “The Beat” to discuss comments Jonathan Lemire made on the network earlier in the day. Lemire suggested that Patel’s nomination had the hallmarks of Steve Bannon, suggesting an appeal to the far-right wing of Trump’s base.
“People I talked to said this nomination was a nod to the far right of Trump’s base, to Steve Bannon, to the ultra-MAGA sector here. They were disappointed, for example, the Secretary of the Treasury and the Secretary of State,” Lemire said. “So this is Trump throwing red meat at them because he knows he needs to keep them happy.”
After the video aired, Carville dismissed Lemire’s statements and offered his own theory.
“There’s one person driving this, I promise. And it’s Tucker Carlson. Tucker is an old friend of mine…We haven’t talked in a while, but we’ve been friends. But if I… Everything you see, 2002 Same as I heard backstage in 2016. And J.D. Vance, Don Jr., and Kash Patel were Tucker’s business partners. I’m just telling you what’s in there. And Tucker is 40 times smarter than Steve Bannon,” Carville told Melber.
Carville continued to talk about Carlson’s influence on Trump’s decisions.
“I think he has far more influence in this administration than Vernon Jordan and all the smart people around him during the Clinton administration. But Tucker is very, very, very powerful. And , Kash Patel’s nomination proves that beyond any doubt,” Carville said. (Related: ‘Terrible development’: FBI deputy director Trump’s nomination ‘signals’ plan to ‘disrupt, dismantle and distract’ government agency)
President Trump announced a series of appointments, including the nomination of former Republican Florida congressman Matt Gaetz for attorney general, but Gaetz later withdrew his nomination following allegations of sexual misconduct. Additionally, President Trump nominated former Fox News anchor Pete Hegseth to be Secretary of Defense and Kash Patel to be FBI Director.
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