Chris Matthews: Harris made Trump play defense on inflation

PLOUFFE SAID WASN'T EVEN CLOSE. >> J.B. PRITZKER, THANK YOU VERY MUCH. TO YOUR POINT AND I WILL PRECEDE WHAT I'M BEING B. TO SAY WAS THAT SHE WAS HEAVY ON HER FACTS, ON INFORMATION, ON EXPERIENCE, ON WHAT TO SAY ABOUT DONALD TRUMP'S RECORD, AND WHAT HER OWN PLANS WERE. SO NOW I'M GOING TO GO INTO THE NEXT PART OF THIS WHICH IS THE OPTICS OF IT BECAUSE THIS IS TV AND DONALD TRUMP WAS, UNTIL LAST NIGHT, THE KING OF TV, MR. THE APPRENTICE, MR. YOU'RE FIRED. HE WAS TOLD BY KAMALA HARRIS POINT-BLANK LAST NIGHT YOU WERE FIRED BY 81 MILLION PEOPLE. AND I BELIEVE IT WENT DOWNHILL FOR HIM FROM THERE AND IT WAS HER FACE, THE OPTICS OF HER FACE LISTENING TO HIM TALK, WHICH WAS A CROSS BETWEEN I CAN'T BELIEVE I'M LISTENING TO THIS BLOW HARD LIE HIS BUTT OFF AND AT THE SAME TIME I KIND OF FEEL SORRY FOR HIM BECAUSE HE'S SO PATHETIC. >> THERE WERE A COUPLE OF TIMES THAT PITY SHONE THROUGH THERE. JUST LIKE VIEWERS EVERY MORNING WATCHING THIS SHOW LOOKING AT ME ASKING THE SAME QUESTION, ARE YOU OKAY, JOE? NO, I'M NOT, AND THAT'S WHY WE HAVE A LOT OF GUESTS WITH US, LET'S BRING IN NOW FORMER NBC HOST CHRIS MATTHEWS, REPORTER FOR THE NOTICE, JASMINE WRIGHT AND DAVID IGNATIUS IS STILL WITH US. CHRIS, YOU'VE SEEN A LOT OF THESE DEBATES AND WE'VE TALKED ABOUT THE OBVIOUS HERE, WE'VE TALKED ABOUT HOW BAD DONALD TRUMP LOOKED, WE'VE TALKED ABOUT HOW WELL KAMALA HARRIS DID. LET'S TALK ABOUT, THOUGH, WHEN WE WERE TALKING ABOUT THE MORNING AFTER THE JUNE DEBATE AND WE KEPT TALKING ABOUT -- I KEPT TALKING ABOUT ALL OF THE MISSED OPPORTUNITIES THAT JOE BIDEN HAD, ALL OF THE LAY UPS THAT HE COULDN'T PUT IN, ALL OF THE EASY SHOTS THAT JUST -- WE COULD SAY THE SAME THING ABOUT DONALD TRUMP. ANY SANE REPUBLICAN RUNNING LAST NIGHT WOULD HAVE STAYED ON AFGHANISTAN, WOULD HAVE STAYED ON 9% INFLATION, WOULD HAVE STAYED ON HIGH GROCERY BILLS, WOULD HAVE STAYED ON GAS PRICES SKYROCKETING OVER THE PAST SEVERAL YEARS, WOULD HAVE EVEN MOVED IN ON THE DEFICIT AND THE DEBT EVEN THOUGH TRUMP WAS WEAK THERE. THERE WERE SO MANY THINGS THAT HE COULD HAVE TALKED ABOUT AND STAYED ON THEM. HE JUST COULDN'T DO IT. AGAIN -- >> SHE TRIGGERED HIM SO MANY TIMES. >> THE "WALL STREET JOURNAL" OPINION WRITERS WERE CLEARLY CHEERING FOR DONALD TRUMP AND CLEARLY AGAINST EVERYTHING KAMALA HARRIS STANDS FOR, THEY BASICALLY SAID THE SAME THING. KAMALA HARRIS HAD A FREE WALK IN THE PARK LAST NIGHT BECAUSE OF DONALD TRUMP'S IDIOCY. >> DAVID AXELROD ONCE SAID IN AN ARTICLE I READ WHEN OBAMA WAS RUNNING IN '08 THAT EVERY CHANGE ELECTION IS AN OPPORTUNITY FOR THE OUTSIDER, THE NEWCOMER TO LAMB BASTE THE INCUMBENT. WHAT SHE DID LAST NIGHT WAS FLIP THE TABLES. SHE SAID, WAIT A MINUTE, YOU'RE RAISING A NATIONAL SALES TAX, THAT TARIFF OF YOURS, SHE WOULDN'T EVEN CALL IT A TARIFF, SHE SAID HE'S GOING TO RAISE TAXES OF $6,000 A COUPLE, A FAMILY. SHE MADE HIM PLAY DEFENSE ON INFLATION. HOW DID SHE DO THAT? SHE DID THAT RIGHT UP FRONT WITH THE SALES TAX. >> THE TRUMP SALES TAX, SHE TALKED ABOUT THE TRUMP ABORTION BANS. I MEAN, AGAIN, THAT'S -- THAT'S A WILD THING THAT DONALD TRUMP DIDN'T AT SOME POINT TURN TO HER AND GO, WAIT A SECOND, YOU'VE BEEN IN THE WHITE HOUSE FOR THREE AND A HALF YEARS. >> HE DIDN'T DO IT. >> TRUMP COULD NOT DO THAT, HE WAS SO ADDLED LAST NIGHT, CHRIS. >> I DON'T EVEN LIKE TALKING ABOUT IQ BECAUSE IT'S SO BASIC. SHE IS NO SMART, HER "STEREOPHONIC" ATTACK ON HIM, ROASTING HIM LIKE A PIG THE FIRST HALF HOUR. HE WAS FEVERED, HE WAS LOOKING FOR THE FROZEN STRAWBERRIES, HE WAS NUTS. I SAID I'VE GOT AN HOUR TO GO HERE AND HE'S ALREADY ROASTING HERE. HE'S FINISHED. SHE REVVED HIM UP AND DELACED HIM. I THOUGHT SHE WAS FRISKY. SHE WASN'T -- SHE WASN'T LOOKING DOWN ON HIM SHE WAS JUST ENJOYING HIS ROASTING. SHE THREW MORE WOODED ON THE FIRE ON THIS THING ABOUT THE CROWD SIZE. THAT'S THE WEIRD BUTTON WITH THAT GUY. LOOK AT THE CROWDS HE HAD AT THE MALL, BIGGER THAN MARTIN LUTHER KING, BIGGER THAN ANYBODY. SHE SAID THEY WENT AWAY EARLY BECAUSE THEY WERE BORED. YOU'RE BORING, YOU ARE A BORING MAN, DONALD TRUMP. >> AND, JASMINE, THAT'S, AGAIN, GOING BACK TO THE "WALL STREET JOURNAL" OPINION PAGE AND GOING BACK TO IT BECAUSE THEY CLEARLY WANT DONALD TRUMP TO WIN, BUT EVEN THEY SAID KAMALA HARRIS KEPT BAITING DONALD TRUMP AND HE WAS DUMB ENOUGH TO TAKE THE BAIT EVERY TIME. >> EVERY TIME. >> IT'S ACTUALLY FASCINATING. I WAS TALKING TO A TRUMP SPOKESPERSON IN THE SPIN ROOM LAST NIGHT IN PHILADELPHIA AND THEY SAID, YOU KNOW, I WAS ACTUALLY SURPRISED THAT SHE CONFRONTED HIM SO MANY TIMES AND THAT SHE CONFRONTED HIM IN UNTRUTHFUL WAYS, I THINK YOU CAN DEBATE ABOUT WHETHER OR NOT SHE SAID WAS TRUTHFUL BUT THE SURPRISE ABOUT HER CONFRONTING HIM I THOUGHT THAT WAS INCREDIBLE BECAUSE THE VICE PRESIDENT'S CAMPAIGN HAS SIGNALED FOR THE LAST THREE AND A HALF WEEKS THAT THEY WERE GOING TO CONFRONT HIM. NOT NECESSARILY TIT FOR TAT, BUT THEY WERE GOING TO GOAD HIM, BAIT HIM BECAUSE THEY FELT THEY COULD MAKE THE FIRST CONTRAST BETWEEN PERSONALITY AND PRESIDENTIAL READINESS BETWEEN THE FORMER PRESIDENT AND VICE PRESIDENT. THAT'S WHAT YOU SAW HER DO ON CROWD SIZES, CALLING HIM WEAK ON NATIONAL SECURITY, CALLING HIM SOMEBODY WHO LIKES DICTATORS, WHO WANTS TO BE A DICTATOR. >> WHAT HE HAD FOR LUNCH. >> SAYING HE WAS CONFUSED AND IT WAS HARD FOR HIM TO PROCESS THE LOSS OF 2020. ALL THESE THINGS THAT THEY VERY WELL KNOW IS A TRIG TORE TRUMP. AND FOR HIS -- >> MILITARY LEADERS SAID HE WAS A DISGRACE. >> THIS IS A CAMPAIGN -- ONE LAST THING -- THAT IS VERY EXCITED ABOUT WHAT HARRIS DID LAST NIGHT. THEY FELT THAT THE PREP WAS THERE. >> JASMINE, AS YOU WERE SAYING SHE CONFRONTED HIM. WE WERE SHOWING A PICTURE, ALEX AND -- >> PERFECT TIMING. >> PERFECT TIMING. THIS IS WHERE IT STARTED. >> THAT WAS THE FIRST STRIKE. >> DONALD TRUMP DID NOT EXPECT HER TO GO OVER AND SHAKE HANDS. >> SHE KIND OF CHASED HIM A BIT, RIGHT? SHE WENT UP -- I MEAN, SERIOUSLY, I WAS WATCHING IT IN THE SPIN ROOM AND I WAS LIKE, OH, MY GOSH. I WAS JOKING WITH MY FRIENDS IS SHE GOING TO SHAKE HIS HAND OR NOT. >> HE DOESN'T LIKE TO SHAKE HANDS. >> HE IS A GERMOPHOBE. SHE WALKS ACROSS THE STAGE, HE IS MY AND RING AND SHE GOES AND CHASES HIM BEHIND THE LECTERN. THAT WAS THE FIRST STRIKE TO GET HIM OFF KILTER. HER FIRST OPENING REMARK WHEN SHE WAS TALK BEING THE ECONOMY THAT WAS A LITTLE SHAKY, YOU COULD TELL SHE HAD A BIT OF NERVES. THE VICE PRESIDENT IS A PERSON WHO GETS NERVES WE SAW IT IN 2019 BUT SHE STABILIZED, CHRIS, TO YOUR POINT THAT CROWD SIZE MOMENT. >> I THOUGHT IT WAS INTERESTING, MIKA, SHE SOUNDED A LITTLE NERVOUS AT FIRST AND THEN AT SOME POINT, MAYBE IT WAS THE CROWD SIZE, I DON'T KNOW WHAT IT WAS, BUT AT SOME POINT SHE LAUGHED AND SHE SAID, OH, WAIT A SECOND, I GET THIS GUY. IT'S KIND OF LIKE -- AND FORGIVE ME, I'M A GUY, I'M AN OLD GUY SO THERE'S ALWAYS SPORTS REFERENCES AND BOXING. YOU CAN SEE BOXERS WHERE THEY GO IN AND THEY WOULD DANCE AROUND EACH OTHER AND AT SOME POINT ONE OF THE BOXERS SAYS, OH, WAIT A SECOND, I'VE GOT THIS GUY, I'M GOING TO EITHER KNOCK HIM OUT NOW OR I'M GOING TO PLAY WITH HIM FOR A WHILE. SHE REALIZED PRETTY SOON INTO LAST NIGHT, SHE SAID, I'VE GOT THIS GUY. >> CHRIS MATTHEWS, I WANT TO ASK YOU ABOUT PENNSYLVANIA BECAUSE OF COURSE I TURNED IT ON FOX AFTER AND THE MAIN HOSTS, THE PEOPLE, YOU KNOW, THERE WITH CREDIBILITY WERE SAYING THAT SHE WON THE DEBATE. >> RIGHT. >> BUT THEN IT DEVOLVED FROM THERE. THIS MORNING TRUMP WAS ON THERE AND THERE'S EVERY ACROBATIC MEASURE BEING TAKEN TO MAKE IT LOOK LIKE KAMALA LIED HER WAY THROUGH THE DEBATE AND TRUMP WON. IN PENNSYLVANIA DOES THE DEBATE MATTER OR WILL THEY JUST CONTINUE TO WATCH WHERE THEY WANT TO WATCH AND STAY IN THAT SPIN? >> WELL, YOU KNOW, DAVID BROOKS HAD A GREAT PIECE THIS WEEKEND IN "THE TIMES" ABOUT THE ACTUAL BIG PICTURE REASON WHY PENNSYLVANIA MAY BE DIFFICULT. IT'S THE COLLEGE THING. PEOPLE THAT WENT TO COLLEGE, THEY'RE LUCKY, HAD A GREAT BREAK IN LIFE, THEIR GENES WERE RIGHT, EVERYTHING WAS GREAT, THE PEOPLE WHO DIDN'T GO DON'T THINK ABOUT THEIR KIDS GO, IT NEVER COMES UP IN A FAMILY CONVERSATION. THERE'S NO CONVERSATION LIKE THAT. THEY FEEL SHUT OUT. IN PENNSYLVANIA YOU HAVE A LOT OF PEOPLE, WORKING PEOPLE, WHITE PEOPLE I GUESS YOU COULD SAY, BLACK PEOPLE, BUT THERE IS A SENSE YOU'RE CUT OUT. ALL ACROSS THE STATE FROM PITTSBURGH TO PHILLY IT'S ALL THERE AND YOU CAN SEE IT. I THINK THAT'S STILL THERE. THE OTHER THING IS THIS WANTING TO CHANGE. NBC HAS HISTORICALLY SAID THE KEY QUESTION TO ASK IN AN ELECTION IS DO YOU WANT A NEW DIRECTION? ARE YOU SATISFIED WITH THE DIRECTION? IT'S 2-1 AGAINST. SO LAST NIGHT SHE HAD TO SHATTER ALL THE MAGNETIC BIG TIME FACTS THAT IS GOING TO AFFECT HOW PEOPLE VOTE, HOW THEY'RE DOING IN LIFE, FINANCIALLY PERSONALLY AND HOW THEY THINK THEIR GROUP IS DOING. I THINK SHE BROKE IT IN THE NIGHT BUT THIS IS GOING TO COME DOWN TO BE A REAL CLOSE ELECTION. >> SHE TURNED THAT AROUND ALSO, THOUGH. THE QUESTION OF DO YOU WANT TO BREAK FROM THE PAST AND, MIKA, AGAIN, MAYBE IT'S BECAUSE SHE WAS GREAT, MAYBE IT'S BECAUSE DONALD TRUMP WAS BAD, MAYBE IT'S SOMEWHERE IN THE MIDDLE, BUT IF YOU ARE TUNING IN AND YOU DIDN'T ALREADY -- YOU WERE TRYING TO MAKE UP YOUR MIND, DONALD TRUMP WAS THE PAST. >> YEAH. >> AND SHE WAS THE FUTURE. THAT'S HOW SHE PAINTED IT. >> HE COULDN'T EVEN ANSWER AS TO WHETHER OR NOT HE WANTED UKRAINE TO WIN. HERE HE IS AND WE'RE TALKING ABOUT PENNSYLVANIA -- >> A LOT OF POLISH PEOPLE WATCHING IN PHILADELPHIA. >> ROLL IT. >> IF DONALD TRUMP WERE PRESIDENT, PUTIN WOULD BE SITTING IN KYIV RIGHT NOW AND UNDERSTAND WHAT THAT WOULD MEAN BECAUSE PUTIN'S AGENDA IS NOT JUST ABOUT UKRAINE. UNDERSTAND WHY THE EUROPEAN ALLIES AND OUR NATO ALLIES ARE SO THANKFUL THAT YOU ARE NO LONGER PRESIDENT AND THAT WE UNDERSTAND THE IMPORTANCE OF THE GREATEST MILITARY ALLIANCE THE WORLD HAS EVER KNOWN WHICH IS NATO AND WHAT WE HAVE DONE TO PRESERVE THE ABILITY OF ZELENSKYY AND THE UKRAINIANS TO FIGHT FOR THEIR INDEPENDENCE, OTHERWISE PUTIN WOULD BE SITTING IN KYIV WITH HIS EYES ON THE REST OF EUROPE, STARTING WITH POLAND AND WHY DON'T YOU TELL THE 800,000 POLISH AMERICANS RIGHT HERE IN PENNSYLVANIA HOW QUICKLY YOU WOULD GIVE UP FOR THE SAKE OF FAVOR AND WHAT YOU THINK IS A FRIENDSHIP WITH WHAT IS KNOWN TO BE A DICTATOR WHO WOULD EAT YOU FOR LUNCH. >> YOU KNOW, A LOT OF TIMES THERE ARE PEOPLE THAT COME ON THE AIR AFTER DEBATES GO, OH, IT WAS JUST SHOW BIZ, OH, IT WAS JUST THIS, OH, IT WAS JUST THAT AND A LOT OF TIMES IT REALLY IS. BUT I WOULD TELL YOU IT WOULD BE SOMETHING, WOULDN'T IT, IF THEY HAD A DEBATE AND THE TRUTH BROKE OUT. DAVID, THAT'S EXACTLY WHAT HAPPENED. I MEAN, SHE SAID -- AND I SAY THIS TO A MAN WHO HAS WRITTEN COLUMNS ABOUT MANY OF THE THINGS THAT DONALD TRUMP DID, ABRAHAM ACCORDS AND SOME OTHER THINGS THAT YOU SUPPORTED AND SAID HE SHOULD BE SALUTED FOR. HERE, THOUGH, IN UKRAINE, I MEAN, KAMALA HARRIS CORRECTLY POINTS OUT WHAT ALL EUROPEANS FEAR, THAT IF HE IS ELECTED, YOU KNOW -- MOST EUROPEANS FEAR I WILL SAY -- IF HE'S ELECTED UKRAINE FALLS, PUTIN MOVES INTO KYIV AND THEY'RE LOOKING STRAIGHT AT POLAND. >> JOE, WE'VE TALKED A LOT ABOUT THE WAY SHE TRIGGERED HIM, THE WAY SHE GOT HIM TO ACT REALLY CRAZY, BUT I THINK IN SOME WAYS THE MOST IMPORTANT THING THAT SHE DID LAST NIGHT WAS TO SHOW IN A CLEAR, DEEPLY IMPRESSIVE WAY THAT SHE CAN BE COMMANDER IN CHIEF. THAT SHE TOOK ALL OF TRUMP'S USUAL LANGUAGE ABOUT STRENGTH AND, YOU KNOW, BEING TOUGH AND SHE TURNED IT AROUND AGAINST HIM. YOU ARE A DISGRACE. YOU ARE WEAK. AND THEN SHE TALKED ABOUT HER OWN PERSONAL EXPERIENCE AS A NATIONAL SECURITY LEADER, MEETING WITH ZELENSKYY. I TOLD ZELENSKYY THAT THE RUSSIANS WERE COMING AND HERE IS WHAT THEY WILL DO IF THEY SUCCEED IF YOU BECOME PRESIDENT. SO I THINK, YOU KNOW, EVERYBODY WATCHING THIS DEBATE WANTED TO KNOW KAMALA HARRIS ALL THIS EXCITEMENT, ALL THIS SENSE OF CHANGE BUT CAN SHE BE A GOOD PRESIDENT? DOES THEY HAVE THE STRENGTH TO HAVE COMMANDER IN CHIEF? YOU GOT STRONG EVIDENCE LAST NIGHT THAT THE ANSWER