'Makes no sense': Carville scolds Jewish donors for abandoning party, defends Dem record on Israel
EXCLUSIVE: Veteran Democratic strategist James Carville responds to Jewish donors who no longer support the Democratic Party due to the pro-Palestinian protests at Columbia University.
"I've never seen a Democrat have dinner with Kanye West and Nick Fuentes," Carville told Fox News Digital. "I've never seen a Democrat that endorsed the Alternative für Deutschland Party in Germany. I can point to plenty of Republicans who have."
Carville is pouring cold water on Democratic donors' excuse that the rise of antisemitism on college campuses, particularly at Columbia University, means they can no longer support the Democratic Party.
"In my view, that makes no sense. You can't be for a Democrat because they're protesting against Biden? It's nonsense," Carville said.
College campuses became the epicenter of resistance to the war in Gaza as students across the country, a typically Democratic voting bloc, began protesting President Joe Biden during his re-election campaign last year.
Before Biden dropped out of the race and endorsed Harris, students chanted, "Genocide Joe has got to go!" outside his campaign rallies in critical swing states and organized protest votes to express their disapproval of the United States' support for Israel in the war against Hamas.
Last month, President Donald Trump's administration accused Columbia University of violating federal law through its "deliberate indifference" toward anti-Israel protests that have persisted on campus since Oct. 7, 2023.
But Carville, speaking to Fox News Digital about recent comments on his podcast, said it makes no sense for Jewish donors to turn away from the Democratic Party because of protesters at Columbia.
Carville said it is the Democratic Party – not the Republican Party – that has historically supported Israel.
"I would tell my Republican friends, which president was instrumental in the founding of the state of Israel? I happen to know Harry Truman. I happen to know he's a Democrat," Carville said.
"Which president came closest to achieving Middle East peace and security for the state of Israel? I happen to know his name was Bill Clinton," he added.
"Which president installed the Iron Dome, which saved, I don't know, how many thousands of Israeli lives? I happen to know Barack Obama. So, when you're looking at who is more supportive of the state of Israel, it's not even close," Carville told Fox News Digital.
Carville drew a stark contrast with the Republican Party as he criticized Trump for dining with Kanye West, who is infamous for making antisemitic comments, and Nicholas Fuentes, considered a "white supremacist, Holocaust denier who hates Jews" by the American Jewish Committee.
The longtime Democratic strategist also criticized Elon Musk, who until this week was a loyal Trump confidant and a "special government employee," for endorsing the Alternative for Germany party, considered a "confirmed extremist" group by Germany's domestic intelligence agency.
Carville said on his podcast, "Politics War Room," this week that those Jewish donors are most likely embracing the Republican Party because they want their "f---ing tax cut."
Speaking with Fox News Digital, Carville reiterated that Columbia University protests weren't a very good excuse for abandoning the Democratic Party.
But the White House rejected Carville's perception of the Republican Party.
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"President Trump received unprecedented support from the Jewish community in his historic re-election, and this support continues to grow as he combats the left’s rampant anti-Semitism that is exposed daily. The Trump administration is the most pro-Israel and pro-Jewish in our nation’s history, and the President’s record stands as a testament to this commitment," White House spokesperson Harrison Fields told Fox News Digital.
Trump signed executive orders during his first administration, and again last month, aimed at combating antisemitism in the United States.
Fox News Digital's Elizabeth Pritchett and Breanne Deppisch contributed to this report.