James Carville frets over 'uncommitted' protest vote against Biden in Michigan: 'Huge problem'

Democratic strategist James Carville said Monday that the Michigan protest vote against President Biden was going to be a "huge problem" for the Democratic Party.

MSNBC host Jen Psaki noted that 20,000 people voted uncommitted for President Obama in 2012 and asked how big of a problem it would be for Biden in the Tuesday primary.

"Well already, no matter what happens, I know it’s a huge problem. And the uncommitted will do fairly well," Carville said.

He also took issue with people claiming Donald Trump "ran away" in the South Carolina primary despite fellow Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley getting nearly 40% of the vote. "So uncommitted gets 40%, that’s going to be a not particularly positive sign," Carville said of Trump's support in the GOP. 

Democratic strategist James Carville joined MSNBC's Jen Psaki on Monday to discuss the primary in Michigan and more.  (Screenshot/MSNBC)

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Turning back to the Democratic Party in Michigan, Carville told Psaki, "But we already know. You and I know that this is a problem in the party." 

Carville said the president also knew it was a problem. 

"And they’re going to have to tell Bibi Netanyahu, ‘Hey, dude, we are not going to lose our election because you stand to go to jail. You have to think of something else.’ The negligence of this man is breathtaking. And while we’re over there begging him, we ought to be putting pressure on him every way we can to de-escalate this thing, and quickly," he continued. 

Psaki agreed and said Netanyahu likely doesn't want Biden to be re-elected. 

The president, while on an ice cream outing with late night host Seth Meyers in New York City, was asked by a reporter when he expected the cease-fire to begin. Biden, with a mint ice cream cone in hand, said he hoped by at least "the end of the weekend." 

"At least, my national security advisor tells me that we’re close. We’re close. It’s not done yet," Biden said. "And my hope is by next Monday, we’ll have a ceasefire." 

President Joe Biden eats ice cream at Van Leeuwen Ice Cream Monday, Feb. 26, 2024, in New York, as Seth Meyers watches.  (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

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Rep. Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich., has called on Michigan Democrats to vote "uncommitted" in protest of Biden's Israel stance on Tuesday.

Carville was again asked about the protest votes during a CNN interview on Tuesday. Anchor Jim Acosta asked if the vote was going to have much of an impact.

"I have to see, but it did look like the early vote was impressive. Now, they have a good state party there, the UAW, the unions are very organized, so that may not be telling us much. I think we just kinda have to wait until they count the ballots tonight and see what it does and make a determination. But regardless of what happens, this Gaza thing is really tearing the Democratic Party, I don't want to say tearing apart, but it certainly, there are certainly divisions within the party, and a lot of people just don‘t like this," he said during the media appearance.

Pro-Palestinian protests erupt in Washington, D.C., at Union Station on Nov. 17, 2023, during the evening commute. (Brook Curto / Fox News Digital)

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MSNBC correspondent Yasmin Vossoughian previewed a conversation she had with Michigan Democrats who are overwhelmingly dissatisfied with Biden, specifically over his handling of the ongoing Israel-Hamas war. 

"Biden has a problem, Alex, in Michigan with the voters that I've been speaking to," Vossoughian told anchor Alex Witt. "These are all folks that voted for Biden in 2020. They have committed to voting ‘uncommitted’ in the Michigan primary next Tuesday, and two of them are very much on the fence in voting for him for reelection November. The other two absolutely will not be voting for him. They are angry about Gaza, they are angry he has not called for a permanent ceasefire as of yet, and they are angry that he has not come through on the promises he made when he was running for president back in 2020."

Fox News' Joseph Wulfsohn contributed to this report.