'THEY'RE AFRAID': Trump official says Harris campaign eyeing an 'escape hatch'

SEAN: A NUMBER OF PEOPLE ARE JOINING TEAM TRUMP AS WE ENTER THE FINAL THREE MONTHS OF THE CAMPAIGN. TRUMP CAMPAIGN VETS COREY LEWANDOWSKI AND TIM MURTAUGH JOINED THE TEAM LAST WEEK, AND FORMER DEMOCRAT TURNED PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE ROBERT F. KENNEDY JR. AND FORMER DEMOCRAT CONGRESSWOMAN TULSI GABBARD ARE NOW HONORARY CO-CHAIRS OF THE TRUMP TRANSITION TEAM. LET'S BRING IN CAMPAIGN SENIOR ADVISER JASON MILLER. GOOD TO SEE YOU. I FIRST WANT TO GO TO THE DEBATE, BECAUSE I THINK A LOT OF AMERICANS HAVEN'T SEEN, YOU KNOW, KAMALA TAKE QUESTIONS FROM THE MEDIA. OBVIOUSLY, SHE DID ONE JOINT INTERVIEW WITH TIM WALZ, NOT A HARD-HITTING INTERVIEW AT CNN. BUT WE'RE ALL LOOKING FORWARD TO THE DEBATE ON SEPTEMBER 10TH. BUT I DON'T KNOW THAT KAMALA HAS ACTUALLY CONFIRMED THE DEBATE. IS IT GOING TO HAPPEN? WHAT'S THE LATEST ON THE ABC DEBATE? >> WELL, SEAN, GOOD MORNING. I THINK THAT'S A GREAT QUESTION WITH REGARD TO THE DEA BAIT. I THINK THAT THE -- DEBATE. I THINK THAT THE HARRIS CAMPAIGN IS LOOKING FOR AN ESCAPE HATCH TO GET OUT OF THIS DEBATE. TO BE CLEAR, THESE ARE THE RULES THAT THE DEMOCRATS WROTE. EVERYONE HAD AGREED TO THE RULES AT LEAST INFORMALLY WITH ABC. WE HAVE A DEAL WITH ABC, ABC HAS A DEAL, ABC IS WITH US ALL THE WAY ON THIS. HERE'S WHAT I THINK HAPPENED, I THINK THE HARRIS FOLKS STARTED GOING INTO DEBATE PREP, AND NOW THEY REALIZE WHAT THEY'RE WORKING WITH, THAT THE THEY'RE IN REAL TROUBLE WITH KAMALA HARRIS. THEY ALSO KNOW THAT PRESIDENT TRUMP IS THE GREATEST DEBATER IN MODERN POLITICAL HISTORY, SO I THINK THEY'RE NERVOUS AND WANT A WAY OUT. SEAN: SO IS YOUR POINT THAT KAMALA HARRIS' TEAM HAS NOT CONFIRMED THE SEPTEMBER 10TH DEBATE? >> ABSOLUTELY NOT. AND IT'S MIND-BOGGLING BECAUSE YOU WOULD THINK THAT THEY'D WANT TO DEBATE. I MEAN, THE AMERICAN PUBLIC DOES DESERVE THIS. BUT THEY REFUSE TO ACCEPT THE TERMS OF THE DEBATE WHICH, AGAIN, EVERYONE HAD ALREADY AGREED TO IT. WE'D AGREED TO IT, ABC'S AGREED TO IT. THE RULES ARE THE RULES, THEY'RE NOT CHANGING. BUT THE HARRIS CAMPAIGN, THEY'RE AFRAID. THINK ABOUT IT, SEAN. WHY DID THE THEY WAIT 39 DAYS TO EVEN DO THIS JOINT INTERVIEW WHERE KAMALA HARRIS SPOKE FOR ALL OF 16 MINUTES AND 29 SECONDS AND NOW THIS IS DAY 422 THAT KAMALA HARRIS -- 42 -- HAS GONE WITHOUT DOING A SOLO INTERVIEW. THIS IS REALLY BIZARRE. I THINK THEY'RE AFRAID AND THEY DON'T WANT TO PUT KAMALA HARRIS OUT THERE. YOU WANT TO KNOW WHY? BECAUSE SHE'S GOING TO HAVE TO ANSWER FOR EVERY BIT OF THIS LAST THREE AND A HALF YEARS. YOU CAN'T TALK ABOUT TURNING THE BEIGE WHEN YOU -- PAGE WHEN YOU BROKE THE ECONOMY, THE BORDER, THE WORLD. THAT'S ON KAMALA, AND SHE'S GOING TO HAVE TO ACCOUNT FOR THAT ON THE DEBATE STAGE. SEAN: YOU KNOW, WE HEAR RUMORS OF WHAT THE STRATEGY'S GOING TO BE FOR DEMOCRATS. SHE'S NOT GOING TO TALK ABOUT POLICY BECAUSE POLICY IS NOT HER FRIEND. SHE'S GOING TO CONTINUE WITH JOE BIDEN'S AGENDA ON THE ECONOMY AND HER POLICIES ON THE BORDER. SO RUMOR IS THAT SHE WANTS TO JUST GET UNDER DONALD TRUMP'S SKIN AND TRY TO GET A MOMENT THAT SHE CAN PLAY WITH THE AMERICAN PEOPLE ON EMOTION AS OPPOSED TO POLICY. HOW IS THE TEAM, TEAM TRUMP, ADDRESSING WHAT KAMALA'S GOING TO DO IF THIS DEBATE ACTUALLY GOES OFF? >> SO THERE ARE TWO PARTS. THERE'S THE OVERALL MESSAGING REMINDING PEOPLE THEY WERE BETTER OFF WITH TRUMP, AND THEY WERE. EVERYBODY WAS BETTER OFF WITH TRUMP. EVERY GROUP IN THE COUNTRY. EVEN AS WE GO INTO LABOR DAY AND SEE HOW MUCH MORE EXPENSIVE EVERYTHING IS, PEOPLE WERE BETTER OFF WITH PRESIDENT TRUMP. KAMALA HARRIS CAN TALK ABOUT TURNING THE PAGE AND THIS OTHER NONSENSE, BUT SHE HAS A REAL RECORD. SHE HAS A RECORD OF D.A -- AS D.56789 OF TO CALIFORNIA, AS A.G. OF CALIFORNIA, AND THEN THE VICE PRESIDENT WHICH WAS HIGHLIGHTED THIS LAST WEEK WITH THE GOLD STAR FAMILIES ATTACKING HARRIS, THE 3 SERVICE MEMBERS KILLED -- 13 SERVICE MEMBERS KILLED IN AFGHANISTAN. KAMALA HARRIS HAS TO DEFEND THAT RECORD. PRESIDENT TRUMP IS A VERY QUICK STUDY. HE KNOWS EVERY PART OF KAMALA HARRIS' RECORD AS D.A., A.G. AND HER TIME AS VICE PRESIDENT, SO HE'S GOING TO BE READY. YOU CAN'T PREPARE FOR PRESIDENT TRUMP IN THE DEBATE. HE IS THE ULTIMATE COUNTERPUNCHER, AND THAT'S WHY HE'S THE GREATEST DEBATER THAT I'VE EVER SEEN. YOU CAN'T PREPARE FOR HIM. SO WE'RE GOING TO BE READY, AND WE HAVE THAT THE REAL SIMPLE MESSAGE HOW WE CAN MAKE LIFE BETTER FOR PEOPLE IMMEDIATELY. SEAN: AND, AGAIN, VERY DIFFERENT STRATEGIES FOR THE TWO CAMPAIGNS. DONALD TRUMP TALKING TO THE MEDIA, GOING TO THE MICROPHONE, LAYING OUT POLICIES WHERE HE WANTS TO TAKE THE COUNTRY, AND KAMALA HARRIS HIDING FROM THE MEDIA, AFRAID TO GO TO THE MICROPHONE. I WANT TO GO TO ELECTION INTEGRITY, JASON, BECAUSE, AGAIN, I'M HEARING -- WE BROUGHT THIS UP EARLY IN THE SHOW, BUT I HEAR A LOT OF STORIES, THERE'S BEEN REPORTS OF ILLEGALS REGISTERING TO VOTE. AND THERE'S HELP COMING FROM THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT, THE STATE GOVERNMENT AND NGOs. IN MY HOME STATE OF WISCONSIN, RIGHT, I WENT TO THE DMV, AND RIGHT WHERE YOU GET YOUR LICENSE, U.S. CITIZENS CAN SEIZELY GET A FREE ID FOR -- EASILY GET A FREE ID FOR VOTING. BUT HEN IN REALLY BIG LETTERS, NO BIRTH CERTIFICATE? NO PROBLEM. ASK US HOW. JASON, IF YOU DON'T HAVE A BIRTH CERTIFICATE, THE ODDS ARE YOU PROBABLY ARE NOT A U.S. CITIZEN. AND AGAIN, I THINK THIS IS A ROUND-ABOUT WAY TO THE GET ILLEGALS TO REGISTER TO VOTE. AND, AGAIN, I HOPE THAT'S NOT HAPPENING, BUT I WANT TO HAVE AN ELECTION WHERE ONLY U.S. CITIZENS THAT ARE LEGALLY QUALIFIED TO VOTE, VOTE IS. WHAT IS THE CAMPAIGN DOING ON ISSUE? >> WE HAVE A VERY EXTENSIVE EVERETT THAT A WE'RE DOING WITH THE -- EFFORT THAT WE'RE DOING WITH THE RNC, AND WE'VE BEEN FIGHTING TO TRY TO MAKE SURE WE HAVE THIS STRENGTHENING IN PLACE. SOME STATES LIKE GEORGIA, THEY WENT AND DID IT THEMSELVES, WHICH IS GREAT. THERE'S ACTUALLY GOING TO BE MONITORING OF THESE DROPBOXES, FEEL MUCH MORE CONFIDENT. OTHER PLACES, YOU TAKE A LOOK AT A ARIZONA AND THE RECENT SUPREME COURT RULING THAT SAID THAT YOU HAVE TO SHOW ID TO REGISTER TO VOTE, BUT YOU DON'T HAVE TO SHOW ID TO ACTUALLY VOTE. I MEAN, SEAN, LITERALLY WHEN I GO TO THE MOVIES AND I HAVE MY AMC CARD IF I WANT MY 10% DISCOUNT, I HAVE TO SHOW MY IF ID LITERALLY TO GET MY DISCOUNT AT THE MOVIE THEATER, BUT I DON'T HAVE TO WHEN I GO TO ACTUALLY VOTE? THAT'S WHAT THE DEMOCRATS WANT. AND IF YOU WONDER, PEOPLE ALWAYS SAY WHY DID KAMALA HARRIS ALLOW 20 MILLION ILLEGALS INTO THE COUNTRY? TO TRY TO GET TO THIS AND HAVE THEM VOTE. KEEP IN MIND, SEAN, THAT DEMOCRATS ARE PUSHING TO ALLOW NON-CITIZENS TO ACTUALLY GO AND VOTE IN LOCAL ELECTIONS. WELL, DO YOU REALLY THINK IN ALL OF THOSE PLACES THEY'RE GOING TO THE SAY HERE'S YOUR LOCAL BALLOT AND HERE'S YOUR FEDERAL BALLOT AND THERE'S GOING TO BE FULL CONFIDENCE THAT THEY DON'T VOTE IN BOTH? I DON'T HAVE THAT A CONFIDENCE, BUY -- BUT WE'RE GOING TO BE READY FOR THEM. SEAN: THAT'S WHY REPUBLICANS HAVE PUSHED THE SAVE ACT, REPUBLICANS HAVE PUSHED TO SHOW AN ID BEFORE YOU VOTE. AND THE FACT IS IF YOU DON'T WANT THOSE THINGS, YOU ACTUALLY WANT TO SET UP A SYSTEM WHERE YOU CAN CHEAT AND USE FRAUD TO WIN ELECTIONS. I HOPE THE CAMPAIGN CONTINUES TO PUSH BACK ON