Democratic political strategist James Carville reiterated previous criticism of Ilhan Omar during a recent podcast appearance, again suggesting the progressive lawmaker should consider leaving the Democratic Party.
Carville made the remarks during an interview on Straight Shooter, hosted by Stephen A. Smith. Smith asked Carville about comments he made in May 2025 on his podcast, Politics War Room, in which he sharply criticized Omar, a member of the progressive group of lawmakers often referred to as āthe Squad.ā
Carville, who made a name for himself as an adviser to then-President Bill Clinton, indicated his views had not changed since the earlier remarks and again questioned Omarās role within the Democratic Party.
His comments reflect ongoing divisions among Democrats over the partyās ideological direction and the influence of progressive lawmakers in Congress.
āLady, why donāt you just get out of the Democratic Party,ā Carville said about Omar. āHonestly, start your own movement.ā
His initial calls for Omar to leave the party were in response to a 2018 interview she gave to Middle East outlet Al Jazeera. Omar, who is married to a white man, falsely said āour country should be more fearful of white men because theyāre causing most of the deaths within this country.ā
According to 2023 FBI and Justice Department crime statistics, while whites commit the most murders in terms of raw numbers, black males are six times more likely to victimize other blacks.
Carville stated that Omar was a āvery, attractive, soft-spoken lady,ā he didnāt agree on her attacks on white men, explicitly calling her to āstop.ā
āAbout 33% of the people that are gonna vote are gonna be white males,ā Carville said. āWell, itās stupid to attack 33% of the voters!ā
āAnd so what I would say to Congresswoman Omar, āWhy donāt you be a Democratic Socialist of America?ā Do what AOC did, and then if they win, the truth of that is, I share a lot of ideological issues in common with Congressman Omar, but maybe you should do like a parliamentary government. Weāll let you in the governing coalition, but not the electoral coalition,ā Carville said.
āBut we cannot- we have to get this mentality out that we can win national elections [without] White people, because you canāt,ā Carville continued. āThat we can somehow or another win an election without white males. Itās just insanity. Itās literally mathematical insanity, cultural insanity.ā
āAll white people are not the same. All black people are not the same. All Hispanic people are not the same, all right? ā Carville added. āAnd I donāt like generalizing about someoneās gender or their race or their sexual preference or anything else. All gay people are not the same. Theyāre very different personalities. Theyāre very different values, very different everything.ā
Omar faced backlash after falsely claiming the United States deliberately targets Muslim nations during Ramadan. āIraq was
