‘Rattled’: Trump's racist immigrant rant at debate cripples GOP road map

ABOUT THAT TERRIBLE DAY. AND WE BEGIN TONIGHT WITH 55 DAYS TO GO UNTIL ELECTION DAY, WITH EARLY VOTING STARTING EVEN SOONER. AND LAST NIGHT, VICE PRESIDENT KAMALA HARRIS DELIVERED A MASTER CLASS IN HOW TO STICK THE LANDING IN A DEBATE. IT ALL STARTED IN THOSE FIRST FEW SECONDS WITH THAT POWER MOVE HANDSHAKE. AND HARRIS INTRODUCING HERSELF TO TRUMP. PERHAPS BECAUSE IT WAS THE FIRST TIME THE TWO HAVE BEEN FACE TO FACE, OR MAYBE SO SHE COULD, YOU KNOW, LET HIM HEAR THE PROPER WAY TO PRONOUNCE HER NAME. AND FROM THEN ON, SHE KEPT LAYING THE BAIT AND TRUMP JUST KEPT FALLING FOR IT. >> BUT YOU WILL ALSO NOTICE IS THAT PEOPLE START LEAVING HIS RALLIES EARLY OUT OF EXHAUSTION AND BOREDOM. >> FIRST LET ME RESPOND TO THE RALLIES. PEOPLE START LEAVING. PEOPLE DON'T GO TO HER RALLIES. THERE'S NO REASON TO GO. AND THE PEOPLE THAT DO GO, SHE'S BUSSING THEM IN AND PAYING THEM TO BE THERE. AND THEN SHOWING THEM IN A DIFFERENT LIGHT. SO, SHE CAN'T TALK ABOUT THAT. PEOPLE DON'T LEAVE MY RALLY. WE HAVE THE BIGGEST RALLIES. THE MOST INCREDIBLE RALLIES IN THE HISTORY OF POLITICS. >> WORLD LEADERS ARE LAUGHING AT DONALD TRUMP. I HAVE TALKED WITH MILITARY LEADERS, SOME OF WHOM WORKED WITH YOU, AND THEY SAY YOU'RE A DISGRACE. >> LET ME JUST TALK ABOUT WORLD LEADERS. VIKTOR ORBAN, THEY CALL HIM A STRONG MAN. >> DONALD TRUMP WAS FIRED BY 81 MILLION PEOPLE. SO LET'S BE CLEAR ABOUT THAT. AND CLEARLY HE IS HAVING A VERY DIFFICULT TIME PROCESSING THAT. >> YOU TALK ABOUT A THREAT TO DEMOCRACY, HE GOT 14 MILLION VOTES AND THEY THREW HIM OUT OF OFFICE. AND YOU KNOW WHAT, I'LL GIVE YOU A LITTLE SECRET, HE HATES HER. HE CAN'T STAND HER. >> AND THAT'S PRETTY MUCH HOW IT WENT ALL NIGHT. WITH TRUMP STUCK ON THE ROPES, UNABLE TO REGAIN HIS FOOTING. AND AS I SAID LAST NIGHT, TRUMP GOT DESTROYED IN THIS DEBATE, FOR ONE MAIN REASON, NOT BECAUSE THE DEBATE WAS RIGGED, AS TRUMP HAS ALREADY CLAIMED OR BECAUSE THE MODERATORS WERE MEAN TO HIM, IT WAS BECAUSE HE CANNOT CONTROL HIS OWN MIND. HIS PERFORMANCE WAS SO BAD THAT EVEN HIS PALS ON FOX HAD TO ADMIT IT. >> MAKE NO MISTAKE ABOUT IT, TRUMP HAD A BAD NIGHT. >> I DON'T THINK THE AMERICAN PEOPLE ARE WATCHING AND THINKING ANY OF THESE PEOPLE WON. THIS WAS -- THIS WAS ROUGH. >> HE TOOK ALL OF THE BAIT AND NONE OF THE OPPORTUNITIES. >> DONALD TRUMP MISS A FEW OPPORTUNITIES, ABSOLUTELY. >> TRUMP'S OWN LAP DOG SENATOR LINDSEY GRAHAM TOLD THE BULL WORK TIM MILLER THAT TRUMP'S PERFORMANCE WAS A DISASTER AND THAT HIS DEBATE TEAM SHOULD BE FIRED. SURE, LINDSEY, NOT TRUMP'S FAULT AT ALL. IT WAS THE PEOPLE AROUND HIM. THE FACT THAT IT WAS A POOR NIGHT FOR DONALD MUST NOT HAVE BEEN LOST ON HIM BECAUSE HOW ELSE DO YOU EXPLAIN HIM RUNNING TO THE SPIN ROOM LAST NIGHT AFTER THE DEBATE ENDED. THE LAST 24 HOURS HAS ALL BEEN ABOUT SPIN FOR THE TRUMP CAMPAIGN TO TRY TO PUT LIPSTICK ON A PIG AND POINT THE FINGERS EVERYWHERE ELSE, ANYWHERE ELSE, IN FACT. THIS MORNING, TRUMP BASELESSLY SUGGESTED, OKAY, THAT VICE PRESIDENT HARRIS WAS GIVEN THE QUESTIONS BEFOREHAND. >> THEY HAD A RIGGED SHOW. IT WAS SOMEBODY THAT MAYBE EVEN HAD THE ANSWERS. I'LL BE HONEST, I WATCHED HER TALK. AND I SAID, YOU KNOW, SHE SEEMS AWFULLY FAMILIAR WITH THE QUESTIONS. AND YOU GET PRETTY GOOD AT THAT STUFF AFTER A WHILE. >> YEAH. UH-HUH. NO, NO, DONALD. YOU KNOW WHAT'S THAT'S CALLED, THAT'S CALLED BEING PREPARED. PERHAPS YOU SHOULD, I DON'T KNOW, THINK ABOUT THAT FOR NEXT TIME. MAYBE GIVE IT A SHOT. JOINING ME NOW IS GENTLEMEN LANNY COB, DEAN OF COLOMBIA SCHOOL OF JOURNALISM AND MSNBC CONTRIBUTOR. OLIVIA TROY AND FORMER SENIOR ADVISER TO MIKE PENCE. HUGO LOWELL AND TOMMY VITOR, CO-HOST OF POD SAVE THE WORLD AND COAUTHOR OF DEMOCRACY OR ELSE, HOW TO SAVE AMERICAN IN TEN EASY STEPS. WE HAVE TO TALK ABOUT THAT BOOK AT SOME POINT, TOMMY. WE HAVE TO SAVE DEMOCRACY. IF IT'S TEN STEPS, I'M WITH IT. I WANT TO COME TO THE TABLE FIRST. I WANT TO GET YOU THE HEAD OF THE COLUMBIA SCHOOL OF JOURNALISM. I LOVE REMINDING PEOPLE YOU ARE THE BOSS COLUMBIA SCHOOL OF JOURNALISM. HOW THE DEBATE WENT. DAVID AND LINSY DAVIS. >> THEY WERE CONSISTENT. THEY WERE PROFESSIONAL. AND YOU KNOW, ONE OF THE NARRATIVES HAS BEEN AROUND HOW FREQUENTLY DONALD TRUMP TOOK THE BAIT FROM KAMALA HARRIS. I THINK ONE OF THE LESSER DISCUSSED THINGS IS THE FACT THAT THE MODERATORS NEVER TOOK ANY BAIT. THAT THEY CONTINUED -- WHEN HE DEFLECTED, THEY WOULD FOLLOW UP. YOU KNOW, AND THAT'S ONE OF THE OTHER THINGS THAT PEOPLE FAIL TO DO. OFTEN WITH DONALD TRUMP. YOU KNOW, HE WILL GIVE A NONANSWER AND JUST MOVE ON TO THE NEXT QUESTION. THEY DIDN'T DO THAT. THEY DID A JUDICIOUS AMOUNT OF FACT CHECKING. SO, IT WASN'T INTRUSIVE. AND THEY WERE LIKE A REFEREE IN A BOXING MATCH, WHERE, YOU KNOW, YOU ARE THERE JUST TO MAKE SURE THAT EVERYONE IS ADHERING TO THE RULES AND THEN YOU'RE INVISIBLE. >> YEAH. >> IT WAS JUST A BANNER EXAMPLE OF HOW AN EVENT LIKE THAT SHOULD BE MODERATED. >> ABSOLUTELY. THEY DIDN'T ALWAYS GET AN ANSWER TO THEIR QUESTIONS. LET ME JUST PLAY THIS. THIS IS A MASH OF TRUMP REFUSING TO ANSWER QUESTIONS. >> WOULD YOU VETO A NATIONAL ABORTION BAN IF IT CAME TO YOU? >> I WOULD HAVE TO. >> IF I COULD GET A YES OR NO. YOUR RUNNING MATE JD VANCE SAID THAT YOU WOULD VETO IT IF IT DID COME TO YOUR DESK. >> I DIDN'T DISCUSS IT WITH JD IN ALL FAIRNESS. >> JUST TO CLARIFY, DO YOU BELIEVE IT'S IN THE U.S. BEST INTEREST FOR UKRAINE TO WIN THIS WAR, YES OR NO? >> THE U.S. BEST INTEREST TO GET FINISHED AND GET IT DONE. >> NINE YEARS AFTER YOU FIRST STARTED RUNNING, DO YOU HAVE A PLAN AND CAN YOU TELL US WHAT IT WAS? >> OBAMACARE WAS LOUSY HEALTH CARE. ALWAYS WAS. NOT GOOD TODAY. >> YOU STILL DO NOT HAVE A PLAN? >> I HAVE CONCEPTS OF A PLAN. >> EVEN THOUGH THEY DIDN'T GET AN ANSWER TO THE QUESTIONS, THEY WERE PERSISTENT IN FACT CHECKING WHEN HE SAID SOMETHING BIZARRE. >> RIGHT. AND EVEN WHEN THEY DIDN'T GET AN ANSWER, YOU KNOW, IT WAS OBVIOUS TO THE VIEWING PUBLIC THAT HE HAD NOT ANSWERED. >> RIGHT. >> THE FOLLOW-UP WAS TO SAY, OKAY, THIS GUY IS NOT GOING TO ANSWER. >> OLIVIA, YOU WERE THERE, YOU WERE IN THE ROOM. THIS IS -- YOU KNOW, ONE OF THE BEST ANSWERS I THINK FROM VICE PRESIDENT HARRIS. IT WAS REALLY STRONG ANSWER. AND IT WAS ABOUT THE ABORTION QUESTION AFTER DONALD TRUMP LIED AS LAWRENCE O'DONNELL POINTED, HIS BIGGEST LIE OF SAYING THAT ALL OF AMERICA, DEMOCRATS, REPUBLICANS, INDEPENDENTS, EVERYBODY WANTED ABORTION RETURNED TO THE STATES. HERE IS VICE PRESIDENT HARRIS' RESPONSE. >> ONE DOES NOT HAVE TO ABANDON THEIR FAITH OR DEEPLY HELD BELIEFS TO AGREE THE GOVERNMENT AND DONALD TRUMP CERTAINLY SHOULD NOT BE TELLING A WOMAN WHAT TO DO WITH HER BODY. I HAVE TALKED WITH WOMEN AROUND OUR COUNTRY. YOU WANT TO TALK ABOUT THIS IS WHAT PEOPLE WANTED? PREGNANT WOMEN WHO WANT TO CARRY A PREGNANCY TO TERM, SUFFERING FROM A MISCARRIAGE, BEING DENIED CARE IN AN EMERGENCY ROOM BECAUSE THE HEALTHCARE PROVIDERS ARE AFRAID THEY MIGHT GO TO JAIL AND SHE'S BLEEDING OUT IN A CAR IN THE PARKING LOT -- SHE DIDN'T WANT THAT. HER HUSBAND DIDN'T WANT THAT. A 12 OR 13-YEAR-OLD SURVIVOR OF INCEST BEING FORCED TO CARRY A PREGNANCY TO TERM. THEY DON'T WANT THAT. >> OLIVIA ONE OF THE THINGS THAT VICE PRESIDENT HARRIS IS GOING TO HAVE TO DO IN ORDER TO WIN THIS ELECTION IS TO MOVE OVER AS MANY SUBURBAN WHITE WOMEN VOTERS AS SHE CAN. HOW EFFECTIVE WAS THAT ANSWER IN HER OVERALL PERFORMANCE IN YOUR VIEW IN TRYING TO DO THAT, INCLUDING REPUBLICAN AND INDEPENDENT WOMEN? >> I THINK IT WAS INCREDIBLY IMPACTFUL, AND I'LL TELL YOU THIS, WATCHING HER ON THAT DEBATE STAGE AS SHE SPOKE ABOUT THE SITUATION AND THE ISSUE IN THAT WAY, I THINK RESONATES WITH AMERICAN PEOPLE. AMERICAN FAMILIES AND FEMALE VOTERS. AND I'LL TELL YOU, I'M GLAD THAT SHE SPOKE ABOUT FAITH AND THE WAY SHE DELIVERED THIS ON THAT STAGE BECAUSE I HAVE SEEN HER ENGAGE REPUBLICAN WOMEN VOTERS IN MICHIGAN. I'VE SEEN HER DO THIS IN PERSON WHERE SHE TALKS ABOUT THIS ISSUE AND IT IS SO INCREDIBLY IMPACTFUL THE WAY SHE DOES IT BECAUSE PEOPLE FEEL LIKE SHE IS MEETING THEM THERE, CONSERVATIVE WOMEN MEETING THEM HALFWAY AND TALK ABOUT IT THE WAY WE DO, AS PEOPLE THE WAY WE TALK TO EACH OTHER THE WAY WE TALK TO OUR FRIENDS. I WILL TELL YOU, I WAS IN ARIZONA LAST WEEK MEETING WITH ARIZONA REPUBLICAN WOMEN TALKING ABOUT REPRODUCTIVE RIGHTS. JUST HAVING THESE CONVERSATIONS ONE ON ONE WITH SOME OF THESE WOMEN, THERE IS A LOT OF EMOTION ABOUT WHAT'S HAPPENING AROUND THE COUNTRY. AND I THINK THE WAY THAT KAMALA HARRIS DELIVERED THAT LAST NIGHT REALLY RESONATES. THAT'S HOW WOMEN ARE FEELING RIGHT NOW. >> YEAH. AND AGAIN, IT IS SOMETHING THAT SHE HAS TO DO BECAUSE GETTING EVEN A SMALL PERCENTAGE, A SMALL MOVEMENT OF WHITE WOMEN VOTERS TO GET CLOSER TO 50/50 IS REALLY THE BALL GAME. HUGO, YOU REPORTED TO US BEFORE THAT THE TRUMP STRATEGY WAS BASICALLY, YOU KNOW, PUT YOUR TWO FINGERS IN YOUR EARS AND PRAY HE DOES WELL IN THE DEBATE. THAT DIDN'T HAPPEN. HE DIDN'T DO WELL IN THE DEBATE. WHAT ARE THEY SAYING NOW? >> YEAH, LOOK, IT'S A UNIVERSAL ACKNOWLEDGMENT THAT IT WAS A BAD NIGHT LAST NIGHT. THEY WON'T SAY IT PUBLICLY, OF COURSE, BUT PRIVATELY MULTIPLE PEOPLE IN THE TRUMP CAMPAIGN ARE TELLING ME THROUGH THE NIGHT THAT, YOU KNOW, HE SOUNDED OFF. HE SOUNDED BAD. HE SOUNDED RATTLED. AND THAT BASICALLY COULDN'T SHAKE HIS ANGER. YOU KNOW, THERE WAS ONE TRUMP AIDE THAT I TEXT AND REALLY KIND OF SUMMED IT UP FOR ME WHICH WAS THEM SAYING, YOU KNOW, TONIGHT WAS -- WILL IT BENEFIT US? NO, IT WILL NOT BENEFIT US. THIS WILL NOT CONVINCE ANY UNDECIDED VOTERS TO COME TO OUR SIDE. THIS WILL NOT CONVINCE ANY INDEPENDENTS TO COME TO OUR SIDE. IT WAS A COSTLY MISSED OPPORTUNITY. THE ONE THING THE TRUMP CAMPAIGN WAS UPSET ABOUT AND DISAPPOINTED ABOUT IS THEY HAD PREPPED SO MANY IMMIGRATION-RELATED RESPONSES AND TRUMP ULTIMATELY DELIVERED NONE OF THEM. HE GOT KIND OF AS-IS, HE GOT SIDETRACKED AND OBSESSED WITH THIS WHOLE HAITIAN IMMIGRANT EATING PETS THING. THEY PREPPED. WHAT HE WAS SUPPOSED TO DO WAS TO SAY, WELL, THIS IS THE STORY THAT'S BEEN COMING OUT OF SPRINGFIELD AND PIVOT TO ATTACKING HARRIS ON THE EFFECTS OF THE ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION ON CRIME. INSTEAD HE GOT BOGGED DOWN IN THIS. HE GOT BAITED BY HARRIS REPEATEDLY. COULDN'T LET IT GO. AND THEN ENDED UP ARGUING WITH THE MODERATORS AND THE NUMBER OF FACE PLANT EMOJIS I GOT FROM TRUMP AIDES LAST NIGHT, I CAN'T DESCRIBE TO YOU WHAT A MISSED OPPORTUNITY EVERYONE THINKS IT WAS. >> MAYBE THEY JUST SHOULD HAVE SAT IN FRONT OF HIM AND SAID THE WORD CROWD SIZE 400 TIMES UNTIL HE GOT OVER IT THAT MAYBE HE COULD, YOU KNOW, GET NUMB TO I