Democratic strategist James Carville said he thinks the person with the most influence over President-elect Trump’s Cabinet nominations is former Fox News host Tucker Carlson.
Carville joined MSNBC’s Ari Melber on Tuesday, where he was shown a clip of journalist Jonathan Lemire claiming Trump’s nomination of Kash Patel to lead the FBI has the president-elect’s former adviser Steve Bannon behind the idea.
“Steve Bannon does not drive this. One person is driving this, I’ll promise you,” Carville said, highlighted by Mediaite. “And it’s Tucker Carlson.”
Carville noted that Carlson is an “old friend” of his.
“Everything that I see is the same thing I heard in the green room in 2002,” he continued. “JD Vance, Don. Jr., Kash Patel was Tucker’s business partner.”
Carville dismissed the idea that Bannon could have such influence over Trump when appointing his next administration.
“Tucker is 40 times more clever than Steve Bannon. He’s 40 times more connected,” he said.
He also noted that Carlson is linked to tech billionaire Elon Musk, whom Trump chose to co-lead his Department of Government Efficiency after the two became close when Musk donated millions to his campaign.
“He’s a very bright man who should not be underrated,” Carville said.
He continued, driving home his point that Carlson is “very, very, very powerful” and Trump’s choice of Patel “proves that beyond any, any doubt at all.”
Trump chose Patel to lead the FBI, essentially firing current director Christopher Wray, who has a 10-year term that expires in 2027. The choice elevates one of Trump’s staunch allies who sparked internal battles during the first Trump administration.
Patel has called for mass firings at the Justice Department and FBI and stripping clearances from those who investigated Trump in 2016. He also backed Trump during his impeachment investigation.
