Countdown to the 2024 election: Day 52 | MSNBC Highlights

53 DAYS OUT FROM THE ELECTION. THE HARRIS CAMPAIGN IS CLEARLY IN HIGH GEAR PUSHING RALLIES. THE LOCAL INTERVIEW PLAN I MENTIONED WE MIGHT GET EXCERPTS OF THAT WITHIN THE HOUR. A NEW PLAN TO SPEAK WITH OPRAH AND ALL THESE OTHER RALLIES AND CAMPAIGNING SINCE THE DEBATE WITH TRUMP. TRUMP, WAVING AWAY ANY TALK OF ANOTHER DEBATE, WHICH IS INTERESTING. HE UNDERSTANDS APPARENTLY THAT THIS DEBATE WAS BAD ENOUGH THAT A SECOND COULD BE AS BAD OR WORSE AND HE'S ALSO NOT PLAYING GAMES. WE'VE COVERED TRUMP FOR YEARS. THIS IS A GUY WHO CLAIMS HE WANTS DEBATES, CLAIMED HE WOULD SIT DOWN FACE TO FACE WITH MUELLER. HE HAS SPENT MANY NEWS CYCLES OFTEN CLAIMING HE WOULD DO THINGS AND THEN NOT. WHY IS IT DIFFERENT NOW? WELL, THIS IS A CONVERSATION THAT MIGHT BE OUT OF HIS CONTROL. IF HE TRIED TO FAKE AND CLAIM HE WANTED ANOTHER DEBATE, IT WOULD ADD MORE TIME TO PEOPLE DISCUSSING THE DEBATE, WHICH ALSO ITSELF MAY BE BAD FOR HIM. HARRIS IS TRYING TO BUILD MOMENTUM OFF THE DEBATE PERFORMANCE. SHE'S BEEN HITTING SWING STATES. SHE DID TWO RALLIES IN NORTH CAROLINA YESTERDAY WHERE HARRIS AND TRUMP ARE TIED DONALD TRUMP AND I HAD OUR DEBATES AND LOOK, I BELIEVE WE OUGHT TO HAVE ANOTHER DEBATE. THE, THERE YOU HAVE IT, CAMPAIGNS OFTEN BOIL DOWN TO TWO BIG FACTORS. THE MESSAGE WHICH TAKES ENDLESS REPETITION FROM THE CANDIDATE, THEIR SURROGATES, THE ADS, ALL THE MILLIONS OF DOLLARS SPENT REPEATING THE MESSAGE. THAT'S ONE PART OF THE CAMPAIGN. AND YOU MIGHT HAVE HEARD SOME OF THOSE LINES OR VARIATIONS ON THEM FROM HARRIS AND HER ALLIES BEFORE THE OTHER PART IS MOMENTUM AND WHAT WE'RE SEEING THIS WEEK, THAT MIGHT HAVE BEEN SEEMINGLY LOGICAL TUESDAY NIGHT, EVEN WEDNESDAY MORNING AS IT SUNK IN, THAT TRUMP HAD A TERRIBLE DEBATE AND HARRIS HAD A GOOD ONE HAS REALLY ONLY BUILT IN THE LAST FEW DAYS UP THROUGH TONIGHT. AND HARRIS NOW CONFIDENTLY DOING, AS I MENTIONED, A NEW TELEVISION INTERVIEW IS THE MOMENTUM PART. SHE IS STITCHING THE DEBATE PERFORMANCE AND THE PERCEPTION OF THAT PERFORMANCE. NOT REALLY CLOSE. NOT ONE OF OUR POLARIZED CONTESTED THINGS WHERE REPUBLICANS AND DEMOCRATS SEE THE ECONOMY DIFFERENTLY. SHE IS SEIZING ON THE FACT THAT IT HAS BECOME CLEAR AS WE'VE REPORTED AND SHOWN YOU THAT VOTERS THINK SHE CLEARLY WON. MANY REPUBLICANS ADMIT IN PUBLIC, SHE CLEARLY WON AND SHE'S USING THAT FOR MOMENTUM AND THE MOMENTUM PART BRINGS US TO TIM WALLS WHO IS OUT IN OTHER PARTS OF THE COUNTRY, INCLUDING MICHIGAN, PART OF THAT SO CALLED BLUE WALL. THEY WANT TO WIN AGAIN USING THE DEBATE, THE PERFORMANCE, DONALD TRUMP'S FAILURE ON THAT DEBATE STAGE TO BUILD THE CAMPAIGN'S MOMENTUM. TAKE A LOOK. THERE WAS ONE PERSON ON THAT STAGE WHO SHOULD BE THE NEXT PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES. SHE COMMANDED THE ROOM AND I KNOW ALL OF US ARE INCREDIBLY PROUD OF VICE PRESIDENT HARRIS. BUT LET'S BE VERY CLEAR. NONE OF US WERE SURPRISED AT WHAT HAPPENED THERE FROM THE GET GO. SHE HAD THE UPPER HAND WALKING IN, GIVEN THE HANDSHAKE. LOOK, IT SAYS SOMETHING ABOUT CHARACTER. SO I GOT ASKED RIGHT AFTER THE DEBATE, YOU KNOW, DO YOU THINK WE SHOULD DO ANOTHER ONE? AND I SAID HELL EVERY DAY WE SHOULD DO ANOTHER ONE. OF COURSE. WELL, IT'S NOT GOING TO HAPPEN BECAUSE DONALD TRUMP CONFIRMED TODAY, HE'S NOT DOING ANOTHER ONE. SO, UM, GIVE HIM, GIVE HIM A LITTLE BREAK. THAT ONE LEFT A MARK, THAT ONE LEFT A MARK. SO HE'S WITH IT. SO LOOK WHO HE WAS WAS ON FULL DISPLAY THE OTHER NIGHT, HIS TRUE COLORS WERE OUT THERE, NOT JUST HIS MAKEUP, NOT JUST HIS, THAT'S TIM WALL'S SIGNATURE STYLE WHICH PEOPLE ARE LEARNING ABOUT. AND WHILE THERE'S PLENTY OF BACK AND FORTH IN POLITICS, I WOULD ADD FACT CHECK TRUE. DONALD TRUMP WAS ON DISPLAY AND WE ARE SO ACCUSTOMED TO HIM GETTING AWAY WITH THINGS AND RUNNING AWAY FROM HIS RECORD THAT THE COMBINATION OF KAMALA HARRIS BEING VERY GOOD AT THIS AND THAT'S DEMONSTRATED, BUT ALSO EVOLUTION AND LEARNING WITHIN THE MEDIA AND THE FACT CHECKING THAT OCCURRED AT THAT DEBATE, WHICH HAS NOT ALWAYS BEEN STANDARD AS WELL AS OUR CIVIC DISCOURSE. IF, IF I CAN SOUND SO HIGH MINDED ON THIS FRIDAY AT THE END OF THE WEEK, I THINK MORE PEOPLE ARE ON TO THE TRICKS AND THE LIES AND THE BS. AND SO THE IDEA HERE THAT DONALD TRUMP BOTH LOST AND IS RUNNING AWAY FROM HER, RUNNING AWAY FROM ANOTHER DEBATE AND HAS BEEN FORCED TO TELL THE TRUTH ABOUT THAT. AFTER LYING ALL THROUGH TUESDAY, KAMALA HARRIS IN HER CAMPAIGN AND HER EFFICACY HAS HIM TELLING THE TRUTH APPARENTLY ON THIS ISSUE BY FRIDAY, WHICH IS HE DOESN'T WANT TO DEBATE HER AGAIN, HE COULDN'T HANDLE HER TRUTH AND HE'S RUNNING AWAY. AND THAT BRINGS US TO SOME WISDOM FROM THE GREAT BOB MARLEY, YOU'RE RUNNING AND YOU'RE RUNNING AND YOU'RE RUNNING AWAY, BUT YOU CAN'T RUN AWAY FROM YOURSELF. SOMETIMES LYRICS HAVE PSYCHOLOGICAL WISDOM AND SOMETIMES THEY HAVE, WE THINK POLITICAL APPLICATION. DONALD TRUMP CANNOT RUN AWAY FROM WHO HE IS AND WHO HE HAS BEEN FOR SOME TIME. THE FACT THAT HE IS LESS AWARE OF HOW IT'S PLAYING THAT IT PLAYED POORLY THAT HE'S BEEN ALLEGEDLY FIGHTING WITH HIS OWN SENIOR CAMPAIGN LEADERSHIP ABOUT THAT, THAT HE WENT OUT IN THE SPIN ROOM AS WE SHOWED YOU TO TRY TO SAY WHAT MAYBE OTHERS WOULDN'T TO DOUBLE DOWN ON THINGS LIKE PET EATING. HE CAN'T RUN AWAY FROM HIMSELF. AND HE CERTAINLY BASED ON THE EVIDENCE WE HAVE NOT ABOUT TO CHANGE INTO A DIFFERENT, MORE REFLECTIVE, MORE ACCOUNTABLE PERSON AT THIS LATE STAGE IN HIS CAREER. AND IN THIS CAMPAIGN, NOW HARRIS IS IN PENNSYLVANIA, WHICH IS A CRITICAL STATE. AND WE CAN TELL YOU SOME OF THE NUMBERS, THE HARRIS CAMPAIGN IS POURING MONEY IN WHICH ALSO SPEAKS TO THE FACT THAT IT'S STILL CLOSE AND THAT REPUBLICANS AND DONALD TRUMP HAVE VERY GOOD FUNDAMENTALS IN THAT STATE. LOOK AT THIS FROM THE TIMES I WANTED TO SHOW YOU THIS A QUARTER OF THE ADS SPENDING THROUGH ELECTION DAY GOING TO PENNSYLVANIA, WHICH JUST REMINDS YOU HOW THAT DELEGATE RICH STATE MATTERS. AND EVEN IF THEY THINK THE HARRIS CAMPAIGN, SHE'S DOING GREAT. EVEN IF THEY THINK IN POLLING, SHE MIGHT BE UP BY A HARE, THEY CANNOT RISK LOSING PENNSYLVANIA. THERE IS NOT A GOOD MAP FOR THEM IF YOU LOSE PENNSYLVANIA TO WIN THE ELECTORAL COLLEGE. NOW I'VE MENTIONED AND I SAID THIS AND OUR COLLEAGUES TALKED ABOUT THIS. WE TALKED ABOUT IT TOGETHER, TUESDAY NIGHT AND WEDNESDAY, MORE THAN ONE PERSON ON THIS CHANNEL SAID, HERE'S HOW SHE WON. LOOK AT THE SUBSTANCE AND THE FACTS. BUT WE HAVE TO WAIT TO SEE WHAT THE VOTERS THINK BECAUSE DEBATES ARE NOT SCORED BY THE MEDIA OR A JUDGE. THERE'S NO JURY LIKE IN COURT THAT COMES OUT WITH A RULING THE NEXT DAY, THEY ARE JUDGED MORE BROADLY BY THE PUBLIC OVER THE DAYS AND EVEN SOMETIMES WEEKS AHEAD. WELL, WE ARE ENDING THE WEEK AND I CAN SHOW YOU OVER HALF SURVEYED, SAY THAT DONALD TRUMP STUMBLED AND DID NOT APPEAR SHARP. YOU CAN SEE, LOOK AT THE GAP BETWEEN THE 52% THAT SAY HE STUMBLED AND ONLY ABOUT ONE OUT OF FIVE TOTAL VOTERS WHO SAID THEY WATCHED OR WE'RE FAMILIAR WITH THE DEBATE SAID THAT ABOUT HARRIS AMERICANS ALSO WEIGHING IN ON THE WINNER A WHOPPING 53% SAY HARRIS WON ONLY 24% COULD MUSTER THAT VIEW FOR TRUMP. AND IN FAIRNESS TO DONALD TRUMP, I MENTIONED THIS EARLIER THIS WEEK, I WILL SAY IT AGAIN NOW. SO LIKE A CANDIDATE, SOMETIMES WE REPEAT THINGS. 24% OF PEOPLE FAMILIAR WITH THE DEBATE SAYING TRUMP WON MEANS A HECK OF A LOT OF PEOPLE WHO HAVE VOTED FOR TRUMP IN THE PAST OR ARE REPUBLICANS DON'T THINK HE WON. DIDN'T SAY THAT TO A POLLSTER OR A FRIEND OR FAMILY MEMBER. THAT IS A PROBLEM FOR DONALD TRUMP. IT IS A SHOCKWAVE. IT DOESN'T MEAN THOSE PEOPLE WON'T VOTE FOR HIM, BUT IT CERTAINLY DEPRESSES EVEN THE ENTHUSIASM OF HIS PAST VOTERS. AND THEN THIS BRINGS ME TO THE COMMENTARIAT. WE LIVE IN A WORLD WHERE WE HEAR, ESPECIALLY FROM THE MAGA SIDE. CONSTANT LIES. IT BECAME A LITMUS TEST TO LIE ABOUT THE RESULTS OF THE 2020 ELECTION. DONALD TRUMP WAS THE LOSER AND ONE OF THE LITMUS TESTS WAS TO PUBLICLY LIE AND CLAIM HE WASN'T THE LOSER, BUT HE WAS DONALD TRUMP IS THE LOSER OF THE 2020 ELECTION. FACT HE WAS THE LOSER. I SAID IT THEN I'LL SAY IT. NOW MANY PROMINENT REPUBLICANS TRYING TO KEEP POWER OR INFLUENCE IN MAGA WORLD EITHER WON'T SAY IT OR EVEN DIRECTLY LIE ABOUT IT. LOW BAR HERE. BUT SOME OF THOSE SAME PEOPLE WHO SOME OF THE TIME HAVE FLIRTED WITH THAT APPEAR TO FEEL THE NEED TO JUST TELL THE TRUTH ABOUT THE FACT THAT THEY THINK TRUMP BLEW IT. AND MAYBE THAT'S BECAUSE THEY FEEL LIKE TELLING THE TRUTH OR MAYBE IT'S BECAUSE AS I TOLD YOU, SOME OF THEM WANT TO GET THROUGH TO HIM THROUGH THE TELEVISION SCREEN AND SAY, HEY, BIG GUY, YOU KEEP DOING THIS, YOU MIGHT BE MORE LIKELY TO LOSE SOME EVEN ACKNOWLEDGING WHERE HARRIS HIT HER MARK. TAKE A LOOK. WHOEVER DID DEBATE PREP FOR DONALD TRUMP SHOULD BE FIRED. HE DECISIVELY LOST IT. HE WAS TERRIBLE. HE TOOK ALL THE BAIT AND NONE OF THE OPPORTUNITIES EVERY VOICE YOU JUST HEARD WAS EITHER A FULL BLOWN CONSERVATIVE WHO SPENT THEIR ENTIRE ADULT CAREER AS A CONSERVATIVE OR SOMEONE IN THE FOX NEWS FIRMAMENT. OK. SO YOU HAVE BILL O'REILLY AND FRANK LUNTZ AND RFKJR WHO'S JUST RECENTLY ENDORSED DONALD TRUMP AND HIS UH TRYING TO HELP HIM. HE THINKS I COULD HAVE SHOWED YOU MANY MORE MINUTES OF PEOPLE WHO ARE JUST INDEPENDENT EXPERTS OR VOTERS, LET ALONE DEMOCRATS AND LIBERALS. BUT THAT'S JUST ON THE CONSERVATIVE SIDE NOW. IMAGINE WHAT THEY'RE SAYING TO EACH OTHER WITH THE CAMERAS OFF. IMAGINE WHAT THEY'RE SAYING IN PRIVATE. AND AGAIN, IF RFKJR IS SAYING THAT IN PUBLIC AND HE'S LITERALLY APPEARING ON A STAGE WITH DONALD TRUMP, HE HAS THE ABILITY TO SPEAK TO HIM AND THE CAMPAIGN. IMAGINE WHAT THEY'RE TELLING THE CAMPAIGN. HEY, NO WONDER THERE'S NOT GOING TO BE ANOTHER DEBATE. IF THEY DON'T THINK THEY CAN IMPROVE HIS PERFORMANCE, NOBODY WANTS TO LET HIM GO GET SMACKED AROUND INTELLECTUALLY AND POLITICALLY BY THE VICE PRESIDENT AGAIN. CERTAINLY HARD TO IMAGINE THAT ALL OF THIS WOULD BRING SOMEONE TOWARDS HIM THIS WEEK. AND THEN THE CONCEPTS OF A PLAN THAT MATTERS. IT MAY HAVE BEEN A GAFFE, IT MAY HAVE BEEN WORDED POORLY, BUT UNDERNEATH IT IS SOMETHING SUBSTANTIVE. DOES DONALD TRUMP CARE ABOUT THIS JOB? HE CLEARLY WANTS TO STAY OUT OF PRISON AND HE STILL WANTS TO PUNISH HIS ENEMIES AND HE TALKS ABOUT BEING A DICTATOR. THOSE ARE ALL THINGS THAT ARE ABOUT HIM AND HIS POWER. BUT DOES HE CARE ABOUT THE ACTUAL JOB OF BEING PRESIDENT AND BEING CONCERNED ABOUT YOU AND THE PUBLIC AND POLICY AND HEALTH CARE AND ALL THE OTHER THINGS? BECAUSE WHETHER YOU HAVE AN ACTUAL PLAN TO DEAL WITH THE NATIONAL HEALTH CARE DEBATES WE'VE BEEN HAVING FOREVER. BUT CERTAINLY DURING HIS TENURE MATTERS AND IT WAS A REVELATION, A PROBLEM FOR HIM THAT HE COULDN'T EVEN IN HIS OWN WORDS, CLAIM THAT HE HAS AN ALTERNATIVE TO THE AFFORDABLE CARE ACT OR WHAT THEY SOMETIMES CALL OBAMACARE AND THIS HAS BEEN HAUNTING HIM. TAKE A LOOK. JUST A YES OR NO. YOU STILL DO NOT HAVE A PLAN. I HAVE CONCEPTS OF A PLAN. YOU HEARD WHAT HE SAID IN THE DEBATE? HE HAS NO PLAN TO REPLACE IT. HE SAID HE SAID CONCEPT, I A OH YOU ALL WATCH THE DEBATE, CONCEPTS, CONCEPTS, NO ACTUAL PLAN, CONCEPTS, CONCEPTS OF A PLAN SOUNDS LIKE A GAFFE, BUT IT'S ALSO SOMETHING THAT VERY SERIOUS POLICY EXPERTS ARE SEIZING ON TAKE THE NOBEL ECONOMIST PAUL KRUGMAN WRITING, WHY TRUMP WAS FORCED TO ADMIT THAT AND HOW REMARKABLE HARRIS' SKILL WAS AT BAITING TRUMP INTO AN ADMISSION ABOUT SOMETHING THAT MATTERS OVER 200 PEOPLE WHO WORK FOR PRESIDENT GEORGE HW BUSH. PRESIDENT GEORGE W BUSH, JOHN MCCAIN AND MITT ROMNEY HAVE ENDORSED ME FOR PRESIDENT, FORMER VICE PRESIDENT DICK CHENEY AND CONGRESSWOMAN LIZ CHENEY ARE SUPPORTING ME AS WELL BECAUSE AS THEY SAID, WE HAVE A DUTY AS CITIZENS TO PUT COUNTRY ABOVE PARTISANSHIP AND DEFEND OUR CONSTITUTION. HI AGAIN, EVERYBODY. IT'S FARVA IN NEW YORK. NO ONE AT A TRUMP RALLY WOULD CLAP FOR ANY OF THOSE NAMES. AND I HAVE TO SAY IT'S ONE THING TO WATCH VICE PRESIDENT KAMALA HARRIS ELECTRIFY ALL OF THE CROWDS THAT SHE IS BEFORE THE WAY SHE DID IN THAT CLIP IN CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA YESTERDAY. THE WAY SHE CONTINUES TO DO, SHE BARNSTORMED HER WAY ACROSS THE BATTLEGROUND STATES. IT'S ONE THING TO SEE THE ENTHUSIASM SHE ENGENDERS THE VOTERS WHO LINE UP FOR HOURS AND HOURS AHEAD OF HER EVENTS TO GET A SEAT INSIDE HER EVENTS AND FILL STADIUMS. LIKE LAST NIGHT, MORE THAN 17,000 PEOPLE CRAMMED INTO HER RALLY IN GREENSBORO, NORTH CAROLINA. LISTEN TO THIS POLITICS. THERE IS A TECHNICAL TERM FOR THAT. IT'S CALLED A ROCK STAR RECEPTION BUT MAKE NO MISTAKE. THIS IS NOT A VIBE CAMPAIGN OR JUST AN ENTHUSIASM AND EFFORT. IT IS A LASER FOCUSED DATA DRIVEN STRATEGY TO PREVAIL IN NOVEMBER BY GOING COUNTY BY COUNTY STATE BY STATE PEELING OFF SWING VOTERS IN THE BACK GROUNDS. YOU CAN HEAR IT WHEN SHE TALKS ABOUT THE MORE THAN 200 PEOPLE WHO WORKED FOR PRESIDENT GEORGE HW BUSH, PRESIDENT GEORGE W BUSH, JOHN MCCAIN, MITT ROMNEY. YOU CAN HEAR IT WHEN SHE LISTS THE LITANY OF FORMER TRUMP AIDES WHO WARNED PUBLICLY THAT DONALD TRUMP IS UNFIT TO SERVE IN THE NATION'S HIGHEST OFFICE EVER AGAIN. AND NOW SHE'S TAKING THE MESSAGE STRAIGHT TO VOTERS WHO MAY EVEN IDENTIFY AS REPUBLICANS HANDING THEM A PERMISSION STRUCTURE TO JOIN HER, PERHAPS HISTORICALLY WIDE IDEOLOGICAL COALITION. YOU HEARD IT YESTERDAY WHEN VICE PRESIDENT HARRIS ADDRESSED THE CROWD IN NORTH CAROLINA. SHE'S DOING IT AGAIN TODAY IN PENNSYLVANIA IN COUNTIES WHERE DONALD TRUMP WON IN 2020. HERE'S VICE PRESIDENT HARRIS' CAMPAIGN SPOKESPERSON IAN SAMS EARLIER TODAY. SHE'S STUMPING ACROSS THESE TWO COUNTIES THAT DONALD TRUMP WON IN 2020 TO EXPAND HER APPEAL AND TO GROW HER SUPPORT IN THESE AREAS. I MEAN, YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT A STATE PENNSYLVANIA THAT WAS DECIDED IN 2020 BY AROUND 80,000 VOTES. SHE'S MAKING REAL GAINS AMONG REPUBLICANS. AND SO WHEN YOU GO IN TO COMMUNITIES LIKE THIS IN LUCERNE AND CAMBRIA COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA WHERE THE MARGINS REALLY MATTER. SHE'S SPEAKING TO VOTERS TO TRY TO GET HER MESSAGE OUT THAT WE CAN ACTUALLY TURN THE PAGE ON THE DONALD TRUMP ERA AND COME TOGETHER AND UNITE AS A COUNTRY. SHE'S NOT JUST TRYING TO TARGET AND BRING IN REPUBLICAN VOTERS. SHE'S ALSO GOING AFTER RURAL VOTERS IN RUBY RED COUNTIES, POLITICO REPORTING THIS QUOTE. HARRIS'S TEAM IS TRYING TO REACH OUT TO RURAL AND SMALL TOWN VOTERS IN AN EFFORT TO LIMIT TRUMP'S MARGINS IN THE KEY BATTLEGROUNDS. QUOTE, HARRIS HERSELF IS VENTURING INTO SOME OF PENNSYLVANIA'S LARGELY RURAL RED COUNTIES FRIDAY AS PART OF HER BATTLEGROUND BLITZ AS WELL AS QUOTE, CIRCULATING HER FIRST DETAILED GOALS FOR RURAL AMERICA IN A BID TO WOO VOTERS. THE PARTY HAS BEEN HEMORRHAGING SUPPORT AMONG FOR DECADES AND WHO WILL HELP DETERMINE THE OUTCOME OF THE NOVEMBER ELECTION. IT'S WHERE WE START THE HOUR WITH THE NORTH CAROLINA DEMOCRATIC PARTY CHAIR ANDERSON CLAYTON ALSO JOINING US BATTLEGROUND STATE DIRECTOR FOR THE HARRIS WALLS CAMPAIGN. DAN KANAN IS HERE. LET ME, LET ME DEAL WITH THIS SORT OF TARGETED STRATEGY THAT SEEKS TO TURN AND CONVERT WHAT IS CLEAR TO ALL OF OUR EYES, RIGHT. I MEAN, A DOMINANT DEBATE PERFORMANCE, A PRESENCE IN THESE RALLIES THAT MAKE SURE THAT THE LINE AT THE NEXT ONE IS LONGER THAT THE PEOPLE SHOW UP EARLIER. IT'S SORT OF THE EFFECT OF MOMENTUM ON TOP OF MOMENTUM ON TOP OF, YOU KNOW, A CROWD EXPERIENCE THAT FUELS MORE MOMENTUM. HOW ARE YOU GUYS WHOSE JOB IT IS NOT TO SIT THERE WITH THE VOLUME UP BUT TO MUTE THE TVS AND MAKE SURE IT CONVERTS TO TURN OUT IN NOVEMBER. AND IN THE EARLY, HOW ARE YOU CONVERTING THAT TO GET THESE MARGINS IN THE BATTLEGROUND STATES IN NOVEMBER? THAT'S REALLY THE CRITICAL QUESTION. NICOLE, YOU HAVE TO TAKE SOMETHING THAT IS SO PALPABLE, ENERGETIC, BUT THEN DO SOMETHING WITH IT THAT TALKS TO VOTERS COMMUNICATE SOMETHING EFFECTIVE IN PERSON IF YOU CAN, BUT CERTAINLY ON THE PHONE AND ONLINE AS WELL. AND A COUPLE OF EXAMPLES AT THE DEBATE ITSELF, OUR CAMPAIGN ORGANIZED AROUND THAT MOMENT, WE EXPECTED THE VICE PRESIDENT TO DO WELL. AND OF COURSE SHE DELIVERED AS SHE DOES IN EVERY BIG MOMENT, BUT WE HAD 1700 DEBATE WATCH PARTIES ACROSS THE BATTLEGROUND STATES. AND IN NORTH, YOU KNOW, THE SEVERAL 100 PARTIES THEY HAD IN THAT ONE STATE ALONE, THEY SHIFTED ANOTHER 2000 VOLUNTEERS COMING OUT OF THOSE WATCH PARTIES. SO THE DEBATE ITSELF WAS A CATALYST FOR VOLUNTEER ACTIVITY. AND THEN YESTERDAY AT THOSE BIG RALLIES IN CHARLOTTE AND THEN AGAIN IN GREENSBORO, OUR TEAM SIGNED UP ANOTHER 7000 PEOPLE FOR VOLUNTEER SHIFTS AT THOSE TWO EVENTS ALONE. SO THEY'RE GREAT MOMENTUM. THEY'RE GREAT TO SPREAD THE MESSAGE. THEY'RE GREAT FOR ENERGY. THEY'RE GREAT FOR THE OPTICS OBVIOUSLY AND THE POLITICS. BUT WE THAT AS AN ORGANIZING IMPERATIVE AND TURN THOSE FOLKS THAT COME TO THOSE RALLIES INTO FURTHER AMBASSADORS FOR THE CAMPAIGN TO DO DOORS, TO DO CALLS, TO BRING FRIENDS AND TO HAVE A PRESENCE IN THEIR COMMUNITIES THAT HELP US ALONG THE WAY. DAN, WE HAVE A LIVE SHOT UP OF HER RALLY LATER TONIGHT IN WILKES, BARRE PENNSYLVANIA. THE PENNSYLVANIA TRAVEL LOOKS VERY MUCH TARGETED BY DATA SAVANTS LIKE DAVID PLOUFFE. AND YOURSELF, TELL ME HOW MUCH YOU WERE ABLE TO LOOK TO GOVERNOR SHAPIRO'S CAMPAIGN. HE RAN AGAINST A RADICAL ELECTION DENYING EXTREMISTS IN MASTRIANO. HE HAD WHAT SHE HAS THIS IDEOLOGICALLY BROAD COALITION OF SUPPORT. I MEAN, COULD YOU IMAGINE DEPLOYING SOME OF THE NOW MANY, MANY, MANY REPUBLICAN SURROGATES LIKE THE FOLKS WE SAW AT THE REPUBLICAN CONVENTION, PEOPLE LIKE ADAM KINZINGER OR JEFF DUNCAN IN THE COMING DAYS IN PENNSYLVANIA. OH, SURE. I MEAN, I THINK HAVING THAT PERMISSION STRUCTURE FROM PEOPLE LIKE ADAM KINZINGER OR LIZ CHENEY OR OTHER REPUBLICANS, ALBERTO GONZALEZ IS ANOTHER ONE THAT HAS COME OUT RECENTLY, OBVIOUSLY TO BE ON THE TRAIL OR EVEN JUST COMMUNICATE IN THEIR OWN VOICES, THE STAKES IN THE ELECTION. AND THE FACT THAT DONALD TRUMP IS SIMPLY UNFIT AND DANGEROUS TO HOLD THE HIGHEST OFFICE IN THE LAND THAT HELPS, THAT CREATES THAT STRUCTURE TO PEEL AWAY THOSE VOTERS. AND I DO WANT TO SAY ONE THING ABOUT THE DATA DRIVEN APPROACH, NICOLE, WE CERTAINLY ARE THAT WE LOOK AT DATA, WE LOOK AT THE POLLING AND THE RESEARCH, WE LOOK AT THE ELECTION RESULTS CYCLE BY CYCLE. WE UNDERSTAND EMPIRICALLY HOW VOTER CONTACT AFFECTS PROPENSITY TO VOTE AND ALSO WHO YOU WILL VOTE FOR AT THE END OF THE DAY. ALL THAT'S FACTORED IN. BUT THERE'S ALSO A HUMAN ELEMENT HERE. I THINK THAT FOR CYCLES, DEMOCRATS GOT SO OBSESSED WITH THE EFFICIENCY OF TARGETS THAT IT HAS LET SOME AREAS OF THE COUNTRY GO. AND IF YOU STOP SHOWING UP, EVENTUALLY IT'S GOING TO CATCH UP WITH YOU. AND I THINK IT CAUGHT UP WITH US A BIT IN 2016. AND WHAT'S BEEN REALLY, I THINK IMPORTANT IN THIS CAMPAIGN AND PAST PAST ELECTION CYCLES IN 2020 22 IS TO HAVE A PRESENCE IN THESE COMMUNITIES. THERE'S 50 OFFICES IN PENNSYLVANIA. YOU KNOW, OBVIOUSLY WE'RE TALKING ABOUT JOHNSTOWN TODAY, BUT WE HAVE AN OFFICE IN LANCASTER. WE SAW US IN BEAVER COUNTY WITH A BUS TOUR WITH GOVERNOR WALLS AND THE VICE PRESIDENT RECENTLY. THOSE ARE PLACES. IF YOU SHOW UP, IF YOU SHOW VOTERS, YOU RESPECT THEM, YOU WANT TO LISTEN TO THEM. THERE'S CERTAINLY A DATA ELEMENT TO TALKING TO THEM AND DECIDING YOU CAN PEEL AWAY SOME TRUMP VOTERS COUNTY BY COUNTY. I DON'T WANT TO DISCOUNT THAT, BUT IT'S THE RESPECT FOR THE VOTER, THE RESPECT TO SAY I AM GOING TO BE A PRESIDENT FOR ALL AMERICA DONALD TRUMP IS IN IT FOR HIMSELF. I THINK THEY SEE THAT WHEN YOU LOOK THEM IN THE EYE IN A WAY THAT WE DON'T SEE THE PRESIDENT, FORMER PRESIDENT DO AT ALL. WELL, THAT'S SO INTERESTING. AND THAT IS SO IT'S A SIGN OF A VERY SORT OF ENLIGHTENED AND HYBRID CAMPAIGN, RIGHT? AND IT'S, I IMAGINE IT'S DRIVEN BY THE CANDIDATE HERSELF WHERE YOU BELIEVE IN THE POSSIBLE. AND I THINK THERE ARE TWO IDEOLOGIES AROUND DATA, RIGHT? THAT DATA FOLLOWS OR DATA LEADS. AND I GUESS WHAT I'M HEARING YOU SAY IS THAT MAYBE IN SOME PLACES THE DATA CAN FOLLOW AND YOUR CANDIDATE CAN LEAD, JUST SAY A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT WHAT YOU VIEW AS POSSIBLE. I MEAN, ARE YOU LOOKING AT FLORIDA OR OHIO IN ANY DIFFERENT WAYS? MAYBE NOT. UM, THE WAY WE ALL UNDERSTAND FLORIDA AND TEXAS AND OHIO TO BE. WELL, I, I THINK FLORIDA IS INTERESTING BECAUSE OF THE EXTREME POLITICS THAT RON DESANTIS HAS TAKEN TO JUST PARROT AND MIMIC WHAT DONALD TRUMP HAS DONE NATIONALLY. AND OF COURSE, YOU'VE GOT THE BAN, THE VERY DRACONIAN BAN ON ABORTION IN FLORIDA AND THIS BALLOT INITIATIVE, WHICH MAKES IT ALL THE MORE INTERESTING. AND SO I THINK THAT'S GONNA BE AN INTERESTING SENATE RACE TO WATCH, CERTAINLY. AND WE'VE GOT A TEAM ON THE GROUND IN FLORIDA THAT'S WORKING VERY HARD. TO MAKE THAT SAY COMPETITIVE AND WE WILL CONTINUE TO DO THAT. BUT AT THE END OF THE DAY, NICOLE, I THINK OUR IMPAIRED IS TO LOOK AT THE SEVEN STATES PRIMARILY THAT ARE REALLY THE TRUE TOSS UPS IN THIS ELECTION. AND THEY'VE BEEN CLOSE IN 18 AND 2020 2022. AND THERE'S JUST THIS GRAVITY THAT WE THINK EXISTS POLITICALLY AND DESPITE THE MOMENTUM AND THE BIG CROWDS AND THE $47 MILLION RAISED IN THE 24 HOURS AFTER THE DEBATE FROM 600,000 DONORS. ALL OF THAT IS INCREDIBLE FOR US AND IS A TOOL IN OUR TOOLBOX. BUT WE JUST, NO, THESE STATES INCLUDING PENNSYLVANIA ARE GOING TO BE EXCEPTIONALLY HARD. THEY'RE REALLY TOUGH. THEY'RE GOING TO BE REALLY CLOSE, 74,000 VOTES IN NORTH CAROLINA, 80,000 VOTES IN PENNSYLVANIA, 11,000 VOTES IN GEORGIA AND SOMETHING SIMILAR TO THAT IN ARIZONA. IT'S JUST TOO CLOSE TO TAKE OUR EYE OFF THE BALL IN THE PLACES THAT I THINK WILL BE DECISIVE IN THIS ELECTION. AND THE CAMPAIGN WE'RE RUNNING IS DESIGNED TO REALLY WIN A CLOSE RACE ACROSS THE ENTIRE BATTLEGROUND. NOW, I'M GOING TO ACTUALLY DO SOMETHING REALLY UNUSUAL AND I'M GOING TO INVITE YOU TO ATTEND ONE OF DONALD TRUMP'S RALLIES. IT'S A REALLY INTERESTING THING TO WATCH WOMEN. I WON'T BE FOLLOWING YOU AROUND TO THE HOSPITAL MONITORING. AND WHAT YOU WILL ALSO NOTICE IS THAT PEOPLE START LEAVING HIS RALLIES EARLY OUT OF EXHAUSTION AND BOREDOM. BY THE WAY, HER CROWDS ARE ZERO. HER CROWDS. SHE'S GOT NO CROWDS. AND I WILL TELL YOU THE ONE THING YOU WILL NOT HEAR HIM TALK ABOUT IS YOU, THEY TAKE IN THE GEESE, YOU KNOW WHERE THE GEESE ARE IN THE PARK, IN THE LAKE AND EVEN WALKING OFF WITH THEIR PETS. MY DOG'S BEEN TAKEN. YOU WILL NOT HEAR HIM TALK ABOUT YOUR NEEDS, YOUR DREAMS AND YOUR, AND YOUR DESIRES. I ALWAYS LIKED HIM. I'M NOT GOING TO WATCH HIM ANYMORE. I'M NOT GONNA WATCH HIM BECAUSE HE'S NOT LEGIT WHAT HE DID. I'M NOT GONNA WATCH HIM AND HIS HAIR IS NOT AS GOOD AS IT USED TO BE. YOU KNOW, I'LL TELL YOU, I BELIEVE YOU DESERVE A PRESIDENT WHO ACTUALLY PUTS YOU FIRST IN. THE MOM DID THIS. SO SHE GET COME ON BABY, YOU CAN DO IT. YOU SAW IT UH WELL, CAN'T DO IT. SHE COULDN'T GET IT UP AND I PLEDGE TO YOU THAT I WILL. MY WIFE HATES WHEN I DO THIS. SHE SAYS IT'S SO UNPRESIDENTIAL. YEAH. GOOD MORNING AND WELCOME TO MORNING JOE. IT'S FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 13TH WILLIE. ARE YOU READY FOR THE WEEKEND? I AM. I LOVE HIS OBSESSION WITH DAVID MUIR'S HAIR. HE'S DISAPPOINTED THAT THE HAIR HAS GOTTEN WORSE. IMPLYING THAT HE USED TO THINK DAVID MUIR HAS GREAT HAIR. WENT ON IT AT SOME POINT ABOUT THAT. FASCINATING. DOES HE REALLY WANT TO BE TALKING LIKE ABOUT HAIR? I DON'T KNOW. AND THEN THE WEAVE, I DON'T KNOW. IT SEEMS TO ME THAT RIGHT NOW THE BIG STORY IS THE FACT THAT HE DOESN'T WANT TO DEBATE AGAIN. I'D LOVE TO GET YOUR THOUGHTS ON THIS. IT SEEMS TO ME THEY COULD HAVE WAITED A WEEK OR TWO, BUT HE MUST HAVE BEEN SO TRAUMATIZED BY BEING SO BADLY BEATEN THAT HE JUST WANTED TO GET IT OUT OF HIS MIND THAT HE WOULD EVER HAVE TO BE ON STAGE AGAIN WITH KAMALA HARRIS. YES. I MEAN, HE OBJECTIVELY GOT BLOWN OUT OF THE ROOM AT THAT DEBATE THREE NIGHTS AGO. HE KNOWS THAT HIS ADVISERS KNOW THAT REPUBLICANS WHO SUPPORT HIM GENERALLY HAVE SAID THAT ON TELEVISION, FOX NEWS HOSTS ARE SAYING THAT HE KNOWS HE GOT CREAMED AND SO NOW HE'S FRAMING IT AS THE DEBATE WAS UNFAIR TO ME. THE MODERATORS WERE TOO MEAN. I'M NOT GOING TO DO THAT AGAIN. HE DOESN'T WANT TO GET BACK IN THE RING WITH VICE PRESIDENT KAMALA HARRIS. THAT'S THE TRUTH. SO AS YOU SAID, DONALD TRUMP OFFICIALLY NOW IS BACKING OUT OF A SECOND DEBATE WITH THE VICE PRESIDENT DESPITE PREVIOUSLY CLAIMING HE WOULD PARTICIPATE IN ONE MORE DEBATE WITH HARRIS. THE FORMER PRESIDENT SAID YESTERDAY DURING THAT RALLY IN ARIZONA THAT BECAUSE HE QUOTE WON ON TUESDAY NIGHT, HE DOESN'T NEED ANOTHER ONE. BUT WHEN A PRIZE FIGHTER LOSES A FIGHT, YOU'VE SEEN A LOT OF FIGHTS, RIGHT? THE FIRST WORDS OUT OF THAT FIGHTER'S MOUTH IS I WANNA REMATCH, I WANNA REMATCH. AND THAT'S WHAT SHE SAID. I WANT TO REMATCH. POLLS CLEARLY SHOW THAT I WON THE DEBATE AGAINST COMRADE KAMALA HARRIS. SHE WENT OVER TO ABC, WHICH IN MY OPINION HAS TAKEN A BIG HIT BECAUSE THESE TWO PEOPLE WERE BAD NEWS. THEY KEPT SCREAMING AT ME. I SAID, WHY ARE YOU SCREAMING? I'M SAYING TO MYSELF, I'M LOOKING HIM. I ALWAYS LIKED HIM. I'M NOT GONNA WATCH HIM ANYMORE. I'M NOT GONNA WATCH HIM BECAUSE HE'S NOT LEGIT WHAT HE DID. I'M NOT GONNA WATCH HIM AND HIS HAIR'S NOT AS GOOD AS IT USED TO BE. YOU KNOW, SO BECAUSE WE'VE DONE TWO DEBATES AND BECAUSE THEY WERE SUCCESSFUL, THERE WILL BE NO THIRD DEBATE. IT'S TOO LATE ANYWAY, THE VOTING HAS ALREADY BEGUN YET. YOU GOT TO GO OUT AND VOTE. WE GOT TO VOTE. SO NORTH CAROLINA TWO NIGHTS AGO, DONALD TRUMP AND I HAD OUR DEBATES AND LOOK, I BELIEVE WE OUGHT TO HAVE ANOTHER DEBATE, THE VOTERS BECAUSE HERE'S THE THING IN THIS ELECTION, WHAT'S AT STAKE? COULD NOT BE MORE IMPORTANT? THAT'S KAMALA HARRIS WILLIE ON THE ROAD IN FRONT OF YET ANOTHER MASSIVE CROWD, DESPITE WHAT DONALD TRUMP SAYS. AND HERE'S THE PROBLEM WITH EVERYTHING DONALD TRUMP SAID IN THOSE SOUND BITES. HOW MANY PEOPLE WATCHED THE DEBATE? I THINK IT WAS A PRETTY BIG NUMBER, LIKE 70 MILLION OR SOMETHING ACROSS MULTIPLE NETWORKS. AND SO WE DON'T HAVE TO ACTUALLY SAY, OH, HE'S LYING. LET'S FACT CHECK THAT. EVERYONE SAW IT, EVERYONE SAW IT. EVERYONE KNOWS THAT HE'S LYING. YEAH. AND HE LIKES THAT BOXING METAPHOR ABOUT A REMATCH SOMEHOW FRAMING THAT AS, AS HOW HE WON. HE DOESN'T NEED ANOTHER ONE. I THINK THE MORE APT BOXING METAPHOR IS THAT HE JUST GOT HIS BUTT KICKED IN THE THIRD OR FOURTH ROUND AND HE'S DECIDING NOT TO COME BACK OUT FOR THE NEXT ROUND. KAMALA HARRIS IS STANDING IN THE MIDDLE OF THE RING SAID, LET'S DO IT AGAIN. HE WANTS NONE OF IT. LET'S CONTINUE THE CONVERSATION WITH THE CO HOSTS OF MSNBC'S THE WEEKEND, FORMER CHAIRMAN OF THE REPUBLICAN NATIONAL COMMITTEE, MICHAEL STEELE PULITZER PRIZE WINNING COLUMNIST AND ASSOCIATE EDITOR OF THE WASHINGTON POST, EUGENE ROBINSON AND MANAGING EDITOR AT THE BULWARK SAM STEIN GUYS. GOOD MORNING. GREAT TO HAVE YOU ALL WITH US, MICHAEL. I'LL START WITH YOU. YOUR TAKE AS SOMEONE WHO HAS WORKED IN POLITICS FOR ALL OF HIS ADULT LIFE ABOUT WHAT IT MEANS WHEN SOMEONE SUDDENLY DECLARES THEY DON'T WANT ANOTHER DEBATE. YEAH. YEAH. WHEN YOU, WHEN YOU, WHEN YOU COME OUT AND TRY TO FRAME THIS THE WAY DONALD TRUMP IS FRAMING IT AFTER WE SAW WHAT WE SAW, RIGHT? IT'S NOT LIKE THIS WAS ONE OF THOSE THINGS THAT YOU, YOU ONLY HEARD ON RADIO OR YOU JUST DIDN'T TUNE IN AND MISSED IT. AND NO, A LOT OF PEOPLE SAW THIS. UM WE KNOW HE'S LYING. WE KNOW HE GOT, HE NOT JUST GOT STUNG HE GOT KNOCKED DOWN AND HE GOT KNOCKED DOWN IN SUCH A WAY THAT HE COULD NOT GET UP. SO BASICALLY, WHAT YOU HAVE IS THAT TO KEEP THIS BOXING METAPHOR GOING, THE GUY ON THE MAT LOOKING UP WITH ONE HAND UP IN THE AIR TRYING TO GET UP OFF THE FLOOR SAYING I DON'T WANT ANY MORE. NO MASS. UM AND, AND, AND IT'S, IT'S VERY CLEAR WHY, BECAUSE HE RECOGNIZED FROM THE VERY BEGINNING OF THAT DEBATE AND FOR ME, WILLIE, IT WAS THE MOMENT SHE WALKED OVER AND SHOOK HIS HAND, SHE THREW HIM OFF HIS GAME IN THAT MOMENT BECAUSE HE HAD NO INTENTIONS OF SHAKING HER HAND. HE WAS NOT GOING TO BE THE GENTLEMAN TO GO TO THE CENTER OF THE RING IF YOU WILL AND SHAKE YOUR OPPONENT'S HAND AND TO BEGIN THE CONVERSATION. BUT SHE, SHE DIDN'T WANT BETTER. WENT OVER TO HIM AND INTRODUCED HERSELF, KAMALA HARRIS. AND FROM THAT MOMENT, HE WAS NOT THE SAME. SHE STARTED OFF A LITTLE ROCKY, BUT SHE FOUND HER FOOTING VERY QUICKLY ON ISSUE AFTER ISSUE. AND THE ONLY THING HE WAS REDUCED TO WAS TALKING ABOUT DUCKS AND CATS AND WHINING ABOUT THE FACT THAT, YOU KNOW, UH SHE WAS LYING ABOUT HIS CROWD SIZE IF THAT'S THE, THAT IS THE, BASICALLY THE ESSENCE OF THAT DEBATE FOR DONALD TRUMP. AND SO, YEAH, HE'S ON THE MAT LOOKING UP FROM THE FLOOR SAYING I DON'T WANT NO MORE. GOD BLESS YOU. DONALD BECAUSE WHEN YOU GET UP, SHE GONNA HIT YOU AGAIN AND SHE'S READY AND I THINK THE COUNTRY IS READY FOR HIM, FOR HER TO CONTINUE TO DO THAT. BECAUSE I THINK I HEARD MIKA SAY AT SOME POINT EARLIER THIS WEEK, WE'RE JUST EXHAUSTED AND I THINK WE'RE DONE WITH ALL OF THIS AND SHE HAS BECOME AS DONALD TRUMP WAS THE AVATAR FOR GRIEVANCE AND REGRESSION AND LOOKING BACKWARDS, SHE'S NOW THE AVATAR FOR LOOKING FORWARD AND HOPE AND PEOPLE SEE THAT THERE IS SOMETHING AHEAD THAT THEY CAN MOVE TOWARDS AS OPPOSED TO STAYING STUCK WHERE WE ARE KUDOS TO YOU, MICHAEL STEELE FOR TAKING OUR EXTENDED BOXING METAPHOR TO THE ROBERTO DURAN SUGAR RAY LEONARD FIGHT WITH NO MASS IN 1980. VERY NICELY DONE THERE. EUGENE ROBINSON, IT IS. WE SAW THERE JUST AGAIN, THE STARK CONTRAST. WE SAW DONALD TRUMP AT HIS RALLY IN ARIZONA TALKING ABOUT DOGS AND CATS AND GEESE AND DAVID MUIR'S HAIR AND THEN CUT TO TWO RAUCOUS CROWDED EVENTS. CONTRARY TO WHAT DONALD TRUMP KEEPS SAYING FOR KAMALA HARRIS IN THE STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA AGAIN, JUST TRUST YOUR EYES. IS THERE A BIG CROWD THERE? ARE THEY ENTHUSIASTIC? ARE THEY EXCITED? YES, THE ANSWER IS AND HOW GLEEFUL THE VICE PRESIDENT WAS WHEN TALKING ABOUT THE DEBATE, THE SMILE ON HER FACE BECAUSE SHE TOO KNOWS HOW IT WENT IN THAT ROOM IN PHILADELPHIA ON TUESDAY NIGHT. YEAH, SHE HAD TWO RALLIES IN NORTH CAROLINA YESTERDAY. ONE WAS LIKE 7500 PEOPLE. THE OTHER WAS 17,500 PEOPLE OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT. IT WAS, THEY WERE HUGE AND THEY WERE RAUCOUS, THEY WERE ENTHUSIASTIC. THEY, THEY WERE FULL OF JOY. THEY WERE EXACTLY WHAT TRUMP AND HIS CAMP MOST FEAR. UH, LOOK, THIS DEBATE WAS, UM, WE'LL SEE IF IT WAS A REAL TURNING POINT IN THIS ELECTION. BUT IT WAS CERTAINLY A MOMENT, A MOMENT THAT CAN ONLY BE GOOD FOR KAMALA HARRIS AND A MOMENT THAT CAN ONLY BE BAD FOR DONALD TRUMP. AND I IMAGINE THAT HIS STAFF WHEN HE SAID, OK, MAYBE WE DON'T DO ANOTHER DEBATE. I IMAGINE THEY ENCOURAGED HIM. OK. OK, SEND THAT OUT, SAY THAT TODAY BECAUSE PUT IT, YOU KNOW, LET'S ELIMINATE THE POSSIBILITY OF ANOTHER DEBATE BECAUSE UH HOW COULD THEY STAND ANOTHER ONE OF THOSE, ANOTHER BEAT DOWN LIKE THAT? I JUST DON'T, UH I DON'T, I DON'T SEE IT, YOU KNOW, NOT OVERTLY TRYING TO BE MOCKING BECAUSE THESE ARE REALLY SERIOUS TIMES. NOBODY MADE THAT MORE CLEAR THAN KAMALA HARRIS DID ON THE DEBATE STAGE. BUT ONE FINAL NOTE ABOUT THE DEBATE, I MEAN, IT REALLY WAS NO JOKE HERE. IT WAS THE WIZARD OF OZ. FINALLY AT THE END, WHEN THE CURTAIN IS BACK, HIS ACT WAS DISMANTLED BY HER FACE ALONE AND ALSO EVERYTHING THAT SHE SAID IN FRONT OF SO MANY PEOPLE. IT'S GOING TO BE VERY HARD FOR THE FORMER PRESIDENT TO CONVINCE ANYBODY EXCEPT FOR DIE HARD MAGA WHO DON'T, THE TYPES OF PEOPLE WHO WILL FOLLOW HIM TO ANYWHERE. IT'S GOING TO BE VERY HARD FOR HIM TO CONVINCE MOST AMERICANS THAT HE HAD A MODICUM OF SENSE AND HAD ANY HITS DURING THAT DEBATE, HE WAS THE LOSER. AND FOR THE FIRST TIME, EVERYONE, EVERYONE AT THE SAME TIME SAW IT GARRETT FIRST TO YOU. WHAT DOES IT SAY ABOUT THE TRUMP CAMPAIGN THAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT? THESE TOTALLY FALSE CONSPIRACY THEORIES? NOT ABOUT ISSUES? NOT ABOUT THE ECONOMY. 50 DAYS OUT. WELL, IT TELLS ME TWO THINGS. NUMBER ONE, DONALD TRUMP AND HIS CAMPAIGN HAVE LONG BEEN OBSESSED WITH THE SORT OF CATEGORY OF NEWS STORIES THAT I WOULD CALL IMMIGRANTS BEHAVING BADLY. I MEAN, DONALD TRUMP HAS MADE SOMETHING HE CALLS MIGRANT CRIME CENTRAL TO HIS CAMPAIGN PLATFORM CONTROLLING NOT JUST ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION BUT IN SOME CASES LIMITING LEGAL MIGRATION IN THIS COUNTRY ALL BY HIGHLIGHTING CRIMES COMMITTED BY MIGRANTS ALL AROUND THE COUNTRY. IT'S A REGULAR FEATURE OF HIS STUMP SPEECH. I THINK WHAT THIS PARTICULAR INCIDENT ALSO SHOWS IS THE TERRIBLE INFORMATION CONTROL THAT THIS CAMPAIGN HAS HAD ON WHAT TRUMP CONSUMES AND WHAT TRUMP TURNS AROUND AND TALKS ABOUT. WE SAW THIS DURING HIS PRESIDENCY, THE DIFFICULTY THAT HIS STAFFERS HAD AT THE WHITE HOUSE IN CONTROLLING WHAT KIND OF PAPER, WHAT KIND OF INFORMATION GOT IN FRONT OF THE PRESIDENT AND WHAT HE MIGHT TURN AROUND AND TALK. AND IT'S VERY MUCH THE SAME ON THE CAMPAIGN TODAY. IT CAN BE SOMETHING AS SIMPLE AS A MEME THAT POPS UP ON X OR ON TRUTH SOCIAL THAT GETS IN FRONT OF HIM THAT THEN KIND OF GERMINATES INTO THIS FULL FLEDGED CONSPIRACY THEORY THAT HE'S GOING TO BE OUT ON THE TRAIL. TALKING ABOUT IT HAS BECOME AN ENORMOUS DISTRACTION FOR WHAT THE CAMPAIGN BELIEVES IS ITS CORE MESSAGE. HOWEVER, TANGENTIAL, THE ORIGINAL CONCEPT MIGHT HAVE BEEN ANDREA AND MICHAEL STEELE JOHN LEGEND WHO IS APPARENTLY A NATIVE OF SPRINGFIELD, OHIO WAS ON INSTAGRAM EARLIER, DEFENDING IMMIGRANTS AND SPECIFICALLY HAITIAN IMMIGRANTS. LET'S WATCH, THEY ARE HARD WORKING. THEY'RE AMBITIOUS. THEY COMMIT LESS CRIME THAN NATIVE BORN AMERICANS AND THEY WILL ASSIMILATE AND INTEGRATE IN TIME, BUT IT TAKES TIME. SO I THINK ALL OF US NEED TO HAVE THE SAME KIND OF GRACE THAT WE WOULD WANT OUR ANCESTORS TO HAVE WHEN THEY MOVED HERE WITH OUR HAITIAN BROTHERS AND SISTERS. WE MOVE HERE TOO AND NOBODY'S EATING CATS, NOBODY'S EATING DOGS. THE CAMPAIGN IS GETTING UGLIER THE CLOSER WE GET TO ELECTION DAY. SEPARATELY, THE NEW YORK TIMES IS REPORTING THAT IN MICHIGAN, A GROUP THAT APPEARS TO HAVE TIES TO REPUBLICANS, A GROUP CALLED FUTURE COALITION PAC IS PUSHING ANTI SEMITIC ADS ON YOUTUBE ABOUT KAMALA HARRIS'S HUSBAND DOUG EMHOFF, WHO IS JEWISH AND HAS BEEN CAMPAIGNING AGAINST ANTI SEMITISM ABOUT HARRIS'S PRO ISRAEL VIEWS AND HER HUSBAND'S FAITH. CLEARLY AN EFFORT TO EAT INTO HER SUPPORT AMONG MICHIGAN'S LARGE MUSLIM POPULATION, ESPECIALLY IN DETROIT AND IT'S AT THE TOP OF ALL OF THIS SITS UH J OF THE JAB OF THE TRUMP THAT'S WHO SITS AT THE TOP OF ALL OF THIS. HE IS THE ONE WHO IS, WHO IS, WHO IS FEEDING ALL OF THESE UGLY MEMES, THIS, THIS DERISION, UH THIS, THIS VILE AND VILE A ACROSS THE NATION. UH AND IT'S GOING TO LEAD AND HAVE TO AND HAVE CONSEQUENCES. ANDREA UM SOMEONE, SOMEBODY, SOME IN SOME COMMUNITY IS GOING TO BE IMPACTED, DIRECTED WHEN YOU'RE DIRECTLY WHEN YOU'RE CLOSING SCHOOLS BECAUSE THEY'RE GETTING BOMB THREATS WHEN YOU'RE SEEING UH THIS TYPE OF UH NONSENSE BEING FILTERED INTO AND PUSHED OUT BY SUPPORTERS OF DONALD TRUMP INTO MUSLIM COMMUNITIES. UM WHEN YOU HAVE TO AS, AS AN AMERICAN CITIZEN FOR FORGET, YOU KNOW, UH YOU KNOW, THE STATUS OF INDIVIDUALS GET ON, ON, ON A CAMERA AND SAY, YOU KNOW, COMMUNITIES ARE NOT EATING YOUR PETS BECAUSE PEOPLE ARE, ARE SO IGNORANT AND SO OBSESSED UM WITH TRUMP THAT THEY BELIEVE THAT SILLINESS, IT TELLS YOU WHAT IS YET TO COME AND HOW MUCH MORE DIFFICULT THIS CAMPAIGN WILL BE. AND SO I, I WANT US ALL TO START PUTTING AT THE CENTER OF ALL OF THIS WHERE IT COMES FROM. I DON'T, I DON'T GIVE A DAMN ABOUT SOME CAMPAIGN PROCESS, INFRASTRUCTURE ISSUES THAT THE CAMPAIGN CAN'T CONTROL DONALD TRUMP. NO ONE CAN. HE, HE IS THE RINGMASTER OF ALL OF THIS AND TO MAKE THE EXCUSE BY ANYBODY THAT THEY'RE TRYING TO DO THIS AND THEY CAN'T DO THAT. IS IT RELEVANT TO THE CONVERSATION? LET'S FOCUS ON WHERE THIS LIES. KAMALA HARRIS HAS SAID IT. UH EXACTLY AND PRECISELY. UH HE IS UNSERIOUS AND HE IS AT THE TIP OF ALL OF THIS. AND I THINK THE SOONER WE GET TO THAT SPACE, THE EASIER IT IS TO CONTINUE ON WITH THE CONVERSATION ABOUT MOVING THE COUNTRY FORWARD AND STANDING UP THE REASON WHY WE SHOULD NOT LOOK BACKWARDS AND WHY WE DON'T HAVE TO EMBRACE ANY OF THIS. UH UH I, I JUST THINK THAT'S WHERE WE NEED TO BE BECAUSE WE'LL SPEND OUR HEADS AND OUR WHEELS TRYING TO RECONCILE AND, AND UNDERSTAND, I'M PAST UNDERSTANDING, DONALD TRUMP, I UNDERSTOOD FROM THE VERY BEGINNING WHAT I WAS DEALING WITH AND IT'S HIGH TIME THE REST OF US GET ON THAT PAGE. WELL, YOU'RE EXPRESSING A CONCERN THAT WAS EXPRESSED IN, I WOULD SAY QUIETER TERMS, BUT PRETTY, PRETTY EXPLICITLY BY LINDSEY GRAHAM, WHO HAS APOLOGIZED AND EXPLAINED TO HIM THROUGHOUT THIS CAMPAIGN AND THROUGHOUT THE LAST COUPLE OF YEARS SAYING IT'S TIME FOR HIM TO STOP PUTTING CONSPIRACY THEORISTS ON HIS AIRPLANE AND GET TO THE ISSUES. MCKAY COPPINS SEPARATELY AS WE TALK ABOUT CONSPIRACY THEORIES AND STROKING DIVISIONS. JD VANCE ON MONDAY WAS ASKED ABOUT JANUARY 6TH ON A PODCAST CALLED ALL IN WHICH IS NOT RELATED TO MS NB C'S PROGRAM WITH CHRIS HAYES BY THE SAME NAME BY THE WAY. AND HERE'S WHAT VANCE HAD TO SAY PENCE WAS NOT ASKED TO OVERTURN THE ELECTION. HE COULDN'T HAVE, BUT TWO, THE WAS ASKED TO NOT CERTIFY IT. SO, WOULD YOU HAVE CERTIFIED? I'LL ASK HER FOR THE QUESTION. I WOULD HAVE ASKED THE STATES TO SUBMIT ALTERNATIVE SLATES OF ELECTORS AND LET THE COUNTRY HAVE THE DEBATE. IT DOESN'T NECESSARILY MEAN THE RESULTS WOULD HAVE BEEN ANY DIFFERENT, BUT WE AT LEAST WOULD HAVE HAD THE DEBATE IN PENNSYLVANIA AND GEORGIA. I DON'T KNOW WHERE TO START. THE SUPREME COURT MADE DECISIONS IN 60. WELL, THERE WERE 63 SEPARATE JUDGES AND SEVERAL OF THOSE CASES WENT ALL THE WAY TO THE SUPREME COURT THAT THEY WERE NOT, NOT FRAUD, THAT WOULD HAVE CHANGED THE ELECTION OUTCOMES AND THAT THE ELECTORS NEED SHOULD ON SCHEDULE ON JANUARY 6TH ALL BE CERTIFIED AND THE FACT THAT PENCE WASN'T ASKED, I MEAN, THERE'S ENDLESS TESTIMONY ABOUT THAT INCLUDING FROM HIM. YEAH. THERE, THERE'S LITERALLY NO SUBSTANCE TO BACK UP WHAT JD VANCE JUST SAID, BUT I, I DO THINK IT'S IMPORTANT TO TALK ABOUT WHAT JD VANCE IS DOING HERE BECAUSE THIS IS WHY HE WAS ADDED TO THE TICKET, RIGHT? UM, HE MADE A FAUSTIAN BARGAIN A FEW YEARS AGO WHEN HE DECIDED TO TRANSITION HIS CAREER FROM BEST SELLING AUTHOR AND THOUGHT LEADER TO MAGA POLITICAL CANDIDATE THAT HE WAS GOING TO DO WHAT IT NEEDED TO BE DONE TO GET ON TRUMP'S GOOD SIDE AND HE HAS SPENT THE LAST SEVERAL YEARS IS BASICALLY AUDITIONING FOR THE ROLE OF DONALD TRUMP'S VP. AND WHEN YOU'RE AUDITIONING FOR THAT ROLE, YOU HAVE TO SAY A LOT OF THINGS THAT, YOU KNOW, ARE NOT TRUE, YOU HAVE TO DO A LOT OF UNSEEMLY THINGS JD VANCE ACCORDING TO PEOPLE WHO KNOW HIM, KNOWS BETTER. UM BUT HE HAS DECIDED THAT THIS IS THE, THE CAREER HE WANTS, THAT THIS IS THE JOB HE WANTS. HE'S TRYING TO GET ELECTED TO VICE PRESIDENT. IT'S BEEN PRETTY SUCCESSFUL, YOU KNOW, HE'S, HE'S WOUND UP, YOU KNOW, NOT THAT FAR AWAY FROM POTENTIALLY THE VICE PRESIDENCY, BUT I DO THINK IT'S WORTH ASKING WHAT HE'S GIVEN UP TO GET HERE. AND WHEN I TALKED TO SOME OF HIS FORMER SENATE COLLEAGUES, FOR EXAMPLE, MITT ROMNEY, UH THEY JUST SAY THAT THERE, THERE ARE FEW EXAMPLES OF SOMEBODY WHO HAS KIND OF UH SOLD HIS SOUL FOR IN PURSUIT OF POWER MORE VIVID THAN JD VANCE. AND I THINK THAT'S WHAT YOU'RE SEEING GOING ON THERE WITH THAT, THAT ANSWER THAT YOU JUST GAVE AND GARRETT, YOU'VE BEEN COVERING THIS CAMPAIGN AND DOING IT SO BRILLIANTLY. I MEAN, THIS IS NOT A TYPICAL CAMPAIGN WHEN SOMEONE LIKE LAURA LOOMER IS PUT ON THE PLANE, NOT ONLY HEADING TO THE DEBATE BUT HEADING TO THE 911 COMMEMORATIONS AFTER BEING A 911 DENIER WITH A NOMINEE FOR THE PRESIDENCY OF THE UNITED STATES, WE HAVE TO CALL THAT OUT. SO THIS IS NOT ON THE ONE HAND AND ON THE OTHER HAND, YOU KNOW, YOU CAN'T FIND ANYTHING COMPARABLE ON THE DEMOCRATIC SIDE. NO, THERE REALLY IS NO MEANINGFUL COMPARISON HERE. ANDREA. AND, YOU KNOW, LOOK, I'M NOT SOMEBODY WHO'S PARTICULARLY USUALLY INTERESTED IN WHAT I WOULD CALL LIKE A STAFF STORY, BUT HERE I THINK IT TELLS YOU SOMETHING REALLY IMPORTANT ABOUT THE CANDIDATE WHO HE IS CHOOSING TO ASSOCIATE WITH. IT'S A VERSION OF THE CONVERSATION WE HAD WHEN HE ACCEPTED THE ENDORSEMENT FROM RFKJR AND ESSENTIALLY HAVING TO ALLY HIMSELF WITH ALL THE CONTROVERSIAL THINGS THAT HE HAD SAID AS WE'RE LOOKING AT SOMEONE WHO MIGHT BE THE NEXT PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES, THE KIND OF PERSON WHO TAKE ADVICE FROM ON VERY IMPORTANT DAYS, THE KIND OF PERSON WHO THEY TRAVEL AROUND THE COUNTRY WITH IS INSTRUCTIVE OF THE KIND OF WAY THEY WOULD LEAD THE COUNTRY AND THE KIND OF PEOPLE THAT THEY MIGHT PUT IN A CABINET OR A JUDGESHIP OR ANY OTHER JOB OF SUBSTANCE WITHIN THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT. AND SO I THINK IT'S VERY MUCH A VALID THING TO LOOK AT THE KIND OF PEOPLE AND THE KIND OF INFORMATION THAT'S GOING INTO DONALD TRUMP'S EARS, EVEN IF HE IS AS MICHAEL SUGGESTS CORRECTLY. ULTIMATELY, THE PERSON WHO IS RESPONSIBLE FOR WHAT ENDS UP COMING OUT OF HIS MOUTH.