Carville on Stephen A. Smith: Doesn’t know his ‘a‑‑ from a hole in the ground’ on politics

Democratic strategist James Carville said that while he's a fan of Stephen A. Smith's sports coverage, the commentator doesn't know his “a‑‑ from a hole in the ground” when it comes to politics.

Carville responded to Smith’s recent talk about potentially running as a 2028 candidate since the Democrats “suck right now,” arguing that he should stick to sports.

“Look, he’s like anybody else [who] does any kind of commentary, sports commentary, he’s sometimes wrong, way more times he’s right,” Carville said on Thursday's episode of his "Politicon" podcast. "When it comes to sports, I find him to be really insightful. When it comes to politics, he don’t know his a‑‑ from a hole in the ground.”

“He’s running his goddamn mouth about how he may have to run as a Democrat because there’s no talent,” he continued in the remarks, highlighted by Mediaite. “Stephen, are you kidding me?”

Carville, who served as a senior adviser to former President Clinton, then highlighted potential presidential candidates for the Democratic Party in the next general election, including Maryland Gov. Wes Moore and Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro.

“Before you start running your f‑‑‑ing mouth off about politics, the topic of which you really don’t know anything about, you ought to sit back and think about it and call some people and run it by them,” he said.

Earlier this week, Smith again raised the possibility of running in the next presidential race following devastating losses for Democrats in the 2024 election. He then blasted the party by saying it doesn’t have an obvious rising star to take on Republicans.

“They suck right now. Horrible. Because they don’t have a voice. Where the hell is the voice?” Smith questioned.

Carville, while again praising Smith for his sports knowledge, said his "political stupidity" was getting in the way.

“Stephen A., keep up your s‑‑‑ on sports. I enjoy it. I like it," he continued. "But don’t make a fool of yourself anymore and talk about politics."

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