Democratic strategist James Carville escalated his criticism of left-wing streamer Hasan Piker, labeling him an "idiot" and stating that he does not represent the Democratic Party.
"There's two things that I know about Hasan Piker. One, he's an idiot, and two, he's not a Democrat. So, I don't answer for idiots, and I don't answer for people who are not Democrats," Carville said on Tuesday. Piker, who has become an influential voice on the left and notably campaigned with Michigan's Democratic U.S. Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed, has previously expressed disdain for Carville.
Carville also targeted the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA), urging the organization to remove the word "Democratic" from its name. He argued that the DSA's platform and policy positions, such as advocating for defunding the police, do not align with the core tenets of the Democratic Party.
"What I would tell a Democratic socialist — ‘If you hate the Democratic brand so much, why use our words? Go call yourself something else. Call yourself the Socialists of America,’" Carville stated. "Don't put the first word in your title 'Democratic' because… that's our party. That's the party of civil rights. That's the party of women's rights. That's the party of balanced budget. That is the party of prosperity."
This is not the first time Carville has voiced strong opposition to Piker's influence. Previously, Carville pledged to leave the Democratic Party if Piker were to become a leading voice within it, asserting that an "overwhelming majority" of Democrats would agree with his stance. He characterized Piker as someone who "doesn't want in our frat, because we don't want him."
Piker, who faced criticism in 2019 for saying "America deserved 9/11" during a stream, has responded to Carville's critiques by suggesting that figures like Carville fantasizing about leaving the party would be "sweetening the deal."