James Carville: I'd bet 'even money' Trump will skip the debate
Democratic strategist James Carville said he's willing to bet that former President Trump will not show up at next week's presidential debate.
Famed Democratic strategist James Carville said on Monday that former Presidents Clinton and Obama should lead discussions on replacements for President Biden.
"I want to see the Democratic Party hold four historic town halls between now and the Democratic National Convention in August — one each in the South, the Northeast, the Midwest and the West," Carville wrote in the New York Times.
"We can recruit the two most obvious and qualified people in the world to facilitate substantive discussions: Barack Obama and Bill Clinton. They may not represent every faction under our party’s big tent. But they care as much about our democracy as our nation’s first president, they understand what it takes to be president, and they know how to win," he said.
Carville explained further that the two Democratic icons should consult with the country's 23 Democratic governors in a town hall selection process.
![James Carville speaks about his past statements](https://a57.foxnews.com/static.foxnews.com/foxnews.com/content/uploads/2024/07/1200/675/James-Carville-at-aspen.png?ve=1&tl=1)
Famed Democrat strategist James Carville said on Monday that former Democratic Presidents Bill Clinton and Barack Obama should lead discussions on replacements for President Biden. (Aspen Institute YouTube channel)
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Carville’s comments came after commentators, lawmakers, and Democrat officials continue to call for Biden to withdraw after his debacle at the presidential debate.
Due to so many House lawmakers calling for the commander-in-chief to step aside, Biden penned a letter on Monday to congressional Democrats urging them to stop questioning whether he should end his re-election bid and "move forward as a unified party" in order to defeat former President Trump in their 2024 election rematch.
The president sent the letter to congressional Democrats as they returned from the July 4th holiday recess, reiterating that he's "firmly committed to staying in this race" and argued that any further questioning of his candidacy "only helps Trump and hurts us."
![Former Presidents Clinton and Obama, and President Biden](https://a57.foxnews.com/static.foxnews.com/foxnews.com/content/uploads/2024/04/1200/675/OBAMA-BIDEN-CLINTON.jpg?ve=1&tl=1)
President Biden, along with former Presidents Clinton and Obama sat down for an interview with the "Smartless" podcast, which aired on April 29, 2024. (Win McNamee/Getty Images | Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images | John Nacion/WireImage)
Carville slammed Biden’s effort to prove to his Democratic congressional colleagues that he is still a viable candidate.
"Mark my words: Joe Biden is going to be out of the 2024 presidential race. Whether he is ready to admit it or not. His pleas on Monday to congressional Democrats for support will not unite the party behind him," he said.
He went on to say, "Mr. Biden says he’s staying in the race, but it’s only a matter of time before Democratic pressure and public and private polling lead him to exit the race."
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Carville pressed further that even Vice President Kamala Harris could take down Trump.
"I believe the vice president would be a formidable opponent to Mr. Trump. She has spent the last four years crisscrossing the country and the globe, serving the American people," Carville said.
"She has a hell of a story — one that more people should know. She stood up for ordinary Americans against big banks. She locked up sex predators. You want the prosecutor or you want the criminal? Not the worst question to put to the American public this November," he added.
![Biden v Trump](https://a57.foxnews.com/static.foxnews.com/foxnews.com/content/uploads/2024/05/1200/675/bidentrump.jpg?ve=1&tl=1)
The presidential debate was a major setback for President Biden, who at 81 is the oldest president in the nation's history. (AP Photo/Julia Nikhinson and Evan Vucci)
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Following Biden's extremely rough debate performance a week and a half ago in his first face-to-face showdown with Trump, the president has been attempting to prove that he still has the stamina and acuity to handle the toughest and most demanding job in the world. And he's trying to prove that he has the fortitude to defeat Trump.
The debate was a major setback for Biden, who at 81 is the oldest president in the nation's history. His halting delivery and stumbling answers at the showdown in Atlanta sparked widespread panic in the Democratic Party and a rising tide of public and private calls from within his own party for him to step aside as its 2024 standard-bearer.
Fox News' Anders Hagstrom contributed to this report.