and joining us now former communications director for vice president kamla Harris Ashley etsen so interestingly When Donald Trump's going out and saying that he would potentially not vote or not vote for a six we ban in Florida it's putting a lot of pro-life groups um in a in a weird position they're angry with him and and nbcnews.com and saho Kor compiled just a a ton of reporting on this uh the head of the Susan banthony pro-life America group called Trump on Thursday according to a source with knowledge and told her and told her that she didn't like this Trump told her he didn't say a position on the amendment in his home State's ballot this fall you also have the another um Evangelical Theologian saying that Donald Trump's criticism of Florida abortion restrictions and his call for government funding on IVF and his recent statement about Reproductive Rights see was calculated to alien alienate prolife voters Eric Ericson saying if he loses this is what's going to cost him the victory it's what's going to cost him the White House I can go on there are more why I know you're a Democrat but why do you think Donald Trump is now trying to moderate on this issue listen I'm a a Democrat that's incredibly gleeful at this moment Donald Trump's total totally um deteriorating I mean he's desperate to find new voters I mean he realizes that this issue has been a winner for Democrats over the last two cycles since he reversed roie Wade I mean and he bragged about doing that that so this this again this will continue to be a winning issue for Democrats this is why uh vice president Harris and Governor walls are going to be Barn soring the country kicking off their Reproductive Rights tour in Palm Beach which I just find incredibly uh Trump s they're needling him in his own backyard and it also suggests that Florida is still in place so this is an issue where he he's actually trying to reverse himself because he realizes such a loser for his party but I don't think he can I mean the reality is women won't will not be fooled by this sort of uh fake change of heart by uh the former president what about his proposal to make IVF paid for by the federal government that is something that a lot of families would really like it is very expensive private insurance will pay for a couple rounds of it but that's it I mean I don't know who would believe Donald Trump's word I mean he also said Mexico was going to pay for the wall he said he was going to lower health care costs he did none of that he said he was going to uh reverse Obamacare which he did he did not do at all still hasn't come up with healthcare plan so the reality is is you know you know this should settle the the hearts of Republicans Donald Trump is not serious about this this is actually just pandering at its worst to try to get votes but I don't know who's going to be fooled by the president here or who even believes that he's even sincere about doing what he's saying that he's going to do because again he's has a a habit and a history of failing to make good on his promises so we saw kamla Harris and Governor Tim Walls sit down for an interview with CNN's Dana bat yesterday today and they got into policy a little bit but there has been this criticism out there that they're not going far enough in she's only been on the campaign Trail for a few weeks just got nominated a couple weeks ago she also was part of an Administration whose policy is pretty clear is it your sense that voters really don't know where she stands uh no I don't think that this is even an issue in the minds of most voters I mean if you look at look at where she is in the polls she's in she's surging in the polls uh but also the the metrics by which you measure the strength of an election or candidacy right now is based on on the money she's got $540 million in the bank $20,000 volunteers that's the measure of the strength of of uh a candidacy and it's also the the measure of momentum so she's got momentum behind her I think this is a Washington DC inside the Beltway kind of a controversy that's really being stoked by uh Republicans because they have very little else to attack kamla Harris on and nothing that they've attacked her on so far is is actually Landing she rolled out an entire economic agenda maybe two weeks ago very detailed talking about increasing availability of housing of affordability of housing going after price gouging to lower the cost of uh lower cost for American families put more money in their pockets you know she also talked about her history of really going after uh corporate greed so I'm not sure what uh I feel like this is just a a reach on the part of the Republican party cuz they can't find any other thing to land uh on the vice president she got into details on housing and talked about um getting rid of zoning restrictions and and giving more money um uh to developers to to juice the number of houses that are built she also talked about a $6,000 child tax credit for the first year that you have a baby including more tax credits um during the duration of their childhood so there was a little bit more meat on the bone for those policies the price gouging one though not a lot of indication of how she would actually get that one done because the definition of price scouching uh can vary I do want to ask you though about the debates and there is still this you know back and forth about whether the mics will be muted during the the duration of the debate this is obviously something that President Biden had asked for they got for the first debate KLA Harris doesn't want it if she's able if she's not able to get her away with that to to make the mics turned on for the duration of the debate do you think that she can still effectively show that Donald Trump um or still effectively get under his skin the way the campaign wants to absolutely I mean she's uh a former prosecutor who as I continuously say on television she my experience with her is that she suffers no fool so I think what she's probably uh preppering to do is to figure out how to strategically needle Donald Trump how to get under his skin but there's also one other thing is I know there's nothing that unhinges is Donald Trump more than a a strong powerful woman challenging him I used to be speaker Pelosi's communications director and I remember those years where she stood up to him and he totally crumbled and I think that's what's going to happen in this debate so either Mike's on or Mike's off he's going to continue to be Donald Trump that's exactly what the campaign wants but I think what she's going to try to do is strategically needle him to get under his skin to make him actually unravel is it an advantage or a disadvantage that she's never met him uh you know I don't think either matters but uh I think it it could be an advantage that she's not met him um but but here's the thing we know everything there is to know about Donald Trump you don't have to meet him to know him right and so you you know him to be we know him to be a very small Petty simple-minded individual who could care less about the American people only cares about himself and that's what he's demonstrated so I think the split screen with him on one side her on the other him looking small angry like yesterday and her looking like the very promise of America is going to really uh resonate with people and it's going to tell the entire story cuz Donald Trump's proven and you know the Republican Party could say it better than I can that he can't help himself that he can't help himself but be Donald Trump and that's going to always work to her Advantage so whether she's met him or not it's not going to matter much you know I was talking to Amy Walter of the cook political report yesterday and she was saying looking at the polling right now these debates could really truly make a difference in where this election goes Ashley eten thank you so much for joining it's really good to have you