‘He Kristi Noem’d his campaign’: Nicolle on Trump’s cats and dogs lies have unraveled his campaign

HAVING ME. >>> RICK, I'M GOING TO BORROW THAT. IT'S THE PERFECT WAY TO DESCRIBE HER COALITION. YOU HAVE PEOPLE THAT'S A PERFECT WAY TO DESCRIBE THE CAMPAIGN SHE'S PRESENTING TO THE PEOPLE. SHE'S TALKING ABOUT SMALL BUSINESSES. SHE'S TALKING ABOUT COMMANDING THE MOST LETHAL MILITARY IN THE WORLD. SHE'S TALKING ABOUT GENERALS THAT ARE CALLED DONALD TRUMP A DISGRACE, AND SHE'S TALKING ABOUT LIFTING UP THE MIDDLE CLASS. THIS IS NOT AN IDEOLOGICAL PLATFORM SHE'S PRESENTING TO THE COUNTRY. >> WE JUST HEARD HER SAY WE LO OUR COUNTRY. THAT'S NOT A CONSERVATIVE IDEA. THAT'S NOT A -- >> IT'S NOT A MAGA LINE ANYMORE. >> IT'S KIND OF AMAZING. AND THIS IS THE IDEA. I HAVE WRITTEN A LITTLE ABOUT HOW SHE'S TAKEN BACK THE WORD FREEDOM AND TAKEN BACK THE IDEA OF AMERICAN EXCEPTIONALISM. SHE HAS BROUGHT IT BACK AND TURNED IT AROUND TO SAY IT'S THE IMGRANT EXPERIENCE, IT'S THE FACT THAT WE ARE A CULTURE OF OPPORTUNITY. SHEP WANTS TO CREATE AN OPPORTUNITY ECONOMY. THAT IS WHAT AMERICAN EXCEPTIONALISM IS ABOUT. AND REMEMBER, DONALD TRUMP WAS THE FIRST DECLINIST TO EVER WIN THE PRESIDENCY. THE FIRST PERSON TO SAY AMERICA IS A FAILING STATE. IT'S COMING HOME TO ROOST BECAUSE PEOPLE DO NOT WANT TO ELECT SOMEONE WHO SAYS AMERICA IS A FAILING STATE. >> STAY AWAY FROM THE DOGS. IS THE CAMPAIGN OPERATIVE, I WAS NOT ALWAYS INFLUENTIAL THE AND I WAS NOT ALWAYS RIGHT, BUT I WARNED EVERYONE TO NEVER INVOKE OR ATTACK PETS. AND YOU HAVE TRUMP GOING TO PLACES AND BREAKING BOTH OF THOSE RULES. WHAT DO YOU MAKE OF HOW ALIENATING HIS LAST 48 HOURS HAVE BEEN? >> IT'S SOMEONE BEING TONE DEAF TO HIS STAFFERS AND TO REPUBLICAN PARTY. HE IS NOW ON HIS OWN ROPES. HE KNOWS HE DP NOT HANDLE THAT LAST DEBATE WELL. AND THAT SHOWED BY HIM COMING INTO THE SPIN ROOM. I'M HERE JUST A BLOCK AWAY FROM THE D.C. CONVENTION CENTER, WHERE THE ANNUAL LEGISLATIVE BLACK CAUCUS FOR THE CDC IS HAPPENING. AND THERE IS MORE OF AN ENTHIASM HERE FOR HER. PEOPLE ARE WATCHING HOW DONALD TRUMP IS TROUBLING IN THE MIDST OF THIS MOMENT. THIS MOMENT WHERE KAMALA HARRIS THE HAS RISEN TO THE TOP. SHE'S BEEN AUTHENTICALLY HERSELF. HE'S TRYING TO FIND HIMSELF. HE'S THROWING HIMSELF OUT INTO AREAS HE ONCE SAID NO TO. FOR HIM, BUT DONALD TRUMP IS GOING INTO AREAS LIKE ABORTION. HE WAS SAYING ABORTION AND TALKING IN TERMS THAT ARE NOT TRUE ABOUT PEOPLE HAVING ABORTIONS AFTER THE NINTH MONTH. THINGS THAT ARE NOT TRUE. NOW HE'S TRYING TO PUT INTO THE CONVERSATION THE ISSUE ABOUT BEING AND HE'S NOT THAT CHAMPION. JUST THE BEGINNING OF THIS YEAR, DONALD TRUMP HAS SAID THAT HE STOOD BY REPUBLICANS WHO DID NOT FEEL THAT THAT WAS A GOOD ISSUE. NOW HE'S SAYING AS A CHAMPION, BECAUSE HE WANTS -- HE SAYS IN NICE TERMS, FOR PEOPLE TO HAVE BABIES. WE NEED TO HAVE MORE BABIES. WHO IS THE WE? THAT GOES INTO ANOTHER THING. THE DEVIL IS IN THE DETAILS. WHO IS THE WE TO HAVE BABIES? IS THIS ABOUT THE BROWNING OF AMERICA THAT HE DOES NOT LIKE? IN SUBTLE THE TERMS, SAYING WHITE PEOPLE NEED TO HAVE MORE BABIES. THIS IS A LOT OF CODE FOR A LOT OF PEOPLE. AND HE'S FALLING DOWN A RABBIT HOLE THAT HE'S CREATING FOR HIMSELF. >> CHARLIE, JOURNALISTS LIKE APRIL CAN FOLLOW ALL THOSE TWISTS AND TURNS, AND THE PROBLEM WITH THE PETS IS THAT YOU DON'T HAVE TO HAVE EIGHT YEARS OF TRUMP HISTORY DOWN THE WAY. APRIL RYAN AND A SMALL AND ACCOMPLISHED GROUP OF JOURNALISTS UNDERSTAND AND CAN DECODE ALL THAT. THE PROBLEM FOR TRUMP EATING THE DOGS, EVERYONE KNOWS THAT'S CRAZY. EVERYBODY. >> A LOT OF THIS IS FAMILIAR TO THOSE OF US THAT HAVE LIVED THROUGH THE TRUMP YEARS. I WONDER WHETHER OR NOT THIS IS A REVELATION FOR THE TENS OF MILLIONS OF PEOPLE WHO TURNED INTO THIS DEBATE AND SAID, WHAT IS HE TALKING ABOUT? WHAT IS THIS THAT HE'S DOING? HE HAS FOLLOWED JD VANCE AND OTHERS DOWN SOME OF THESE DARK RABBIT HOLES. HE'S DONE IT WILLINGLY, PLAYING THE RACE CARD MORE AGGRESSIVELY AND WITH UGLIER TONES THAN ANYONE IN AMERICAN POLITICS HAS DONE IN MORE THAN HALF A CENTURY. SO WHAT YOU'RE SEEING IS NOT REALLY THAT HE'S WEIRD AND EXTREME, BUT HE'S REMINDING PEOPLE OF HOW UGLY HIS MESSAGE IS. THAT'S PART OF THE CONTRAST THAT YOU'RE SEEING HERE. THE KAMALA HARRIS, I WILL CONFESS, DOING MUCH BETTER THAN I EXPECTED. REALLY EXCEEDING MY EXPECTATION DONALD TRUMP IS LIING UP TO THE DARKEST EXPECTATIONS OF HIM. WE'RE 54 DAYS AWAY FROM THE ELECTION. HE'S FLYING AROUND WITH ONE OF THE MOSTS NOTORIOUS RAIST CONSPIRACY THEORISTS, WHO IS A 9/11 DENIALIST, AND HE HAS SURROUNDED HIMSELF WITH PEOPLE WHO ARE ENCOURAGING HIS WORST AND DARKEST IMPULSES. HE'S HOPING TO PLAY ON THE WORST AND DARKEST IMPULSES OF THE AMERICAN PEOPLE. THIS IS WHAT HE THINKS WORKS. IF HE CAN CONVINCE AMERICA TO FEAR IMMIGRANTS, THAT HE WILL PROTECT AMERICANS FROM THESE ANGRY BLACK PEOPLE WHO ARE GOING TO EAT YOUR PETS. UNFORTUNATELY FOR HIM, IT COMES OFF AS CRAZY AND LUDICROUS. BUT WHAT'S VERY INTERESTING IS THAT NEITHER HE OR JD VANCE ARE BACK OFF FROM IT. EVEN THOUGH IT'S BEEN EXPOSED AS A LIE, BECAUSE THEY HAVE DECIDED THEY WANT THAT NARRATIVE. THEY WANT THE NARRATIVE OF RACIAL FEAR. THEY ARE GOING TO PLAY WITH THAT MEMES. THE STORY OUT OF SPRINGFIELD MAYBE FAKE, BUT THEY ARE SAYING THIS IS A LARGER TRUTH THAT WE NEED TO BE TERRIFIED. HE THINKS THIS HAS WORKED FOR HIM IN THE PAST, BUTT CONTRAST RIGHT NOW WHERE YOU HAVE SOMEBODY TALKING ABOUT AN OPTIMISTIC FUTURE VERSUS A DECLINIST WHO IS CONSTANTLY RUNNING DOWN THE COUNTRY SAING THAT WE ARE A COUNTRY IN DECLINE, THAT CONTRAST IS VERY, VERY POWERFUL. BUT AGAIN, WE ARE SEEING DONALD TRUMP AT HIS UGLIEST AND THAT'S SAYING A LOT AFTER THE LAST NINE YEARS. >> JUST LISTENING TO YOU, THE WHY IT MATTERS IS ABUNDANTLY CLEAR. WHY IT MATTERS THAT SHE STAND ON A DEBATE STAGE WITH 70 MILLION PEOPLE WATCHING AND SAY, BUT I SAW IT ON TV. YOU'RE NOT RUNNING TO HAVE A SHOW ON THE INTERNET. YOU'RE RUNNING TO BE THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES, TO LOOK AT THE BEST INFORMATION AND DECIPHER THAT WHICH YOU LEARN AND THAT WHICH YOU SAW ON TV. I HAVE A TWOOEN WHO SAYS I SAW THAT ON TV. IT'S SO DISQUALIFYING. WHAT KAMALA HARRIS'S GREATEST POLITICAL SUCCESS, I THINK TO DATE, AND WASN'T ONE WHO UNDERESTIMATED HER BECAUSE I WAS DESPERATE TO SEE MEN HELD TO ACCOUNT. SHE WAS SINGULAR IN HER ABILITY TO DO IT ON LIVE TV WITHOUT A LOT OF NOTES IN REALTIME. BUT WHAT SHE'S BEEN ABLE TO DO TO OUR POLITICS IS IF YOU VIEW TRUMP AS A CANCER TO THE BODY POLITIC, SHE'S DECIDED TO SHRINK THE TUMOR BEFORE SHE ELIMINATES IT. IT'S BEEN DELIGHTFUL TO WATCH HER SHRINK HIM AND MAKE HIM LOOK PETTY AND SMALL AND UNINFORMED AND IRRELEVANT. AND THAT, TO ME, IS