Democratic party political consultant James Carville, who famously (and controversially) told his party to “play dead” in the beginning of Trump 2.0, has a new op-ed in the New York Times entitled ‘How to Turn Trump’s Economic Chaos Against Him.‘
In light of Trump’s imposition of sweeping tariffs against dozens of foreign nations (both friends and foes), Carville suggests that now is the time for Democrats to focus on how Trump has failed to live up to his campaign promise to bring down prices.
Carville quotes Trump’s repeated claim: “Starting on Day 1, we will end inflation and make America affordable again, to bring down the prices of all goods” and “Prices will come down. You just watch. They’ll come down, and they’ll come down fast, not only with insurance, with everything.”
“This promise,” Carville says, “is formally broken.” Carville backs up his claim with links to data on the rising cost of cars and trucks, and — being a veteran at attention-grabbing — a quick anecdote about a company that makes adult toys which has been forced to implement a $5 “Trump tariff surcharge.”
Trump cabinet members like Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and MAGA lawmakers including Congresswoman Maria Salazar (R-FL) argue instead that these consumer hardships Carville wants to focus on are part of a path toward a renewed economic vitality, a promise that echoes the President’s assertions.
On Fox News over the weekend Salazar called Trump’s tariffs “beautiful for the United States” and “good for the economy” (see below).
Rep. Maria Salazar on tariffs: “It’s good for the economy. The president is right on target. He is the master of the deal when he was in construction, so he knows how to put together a good business.” pic.twitter.com/h4GIjH0KVr
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) April 12, 2025
Yet Carville believes that with everyday Americans having to foot the bill, the economic reality will overwhelm the MAGA rhetoric — he’s telling the Democratic Party to take these stories of Americans paying more “and project them where they matter most.”
“Go on influencer networks and podcasts,” Carville says, outlining a plan that’s not about playing dead, “talking about the looming increase in car prices and the fact that the president exploded Nintendo’s plans for the Switch 2.”