‘They’re worried about Ohio’: Trump campaign reportedly worried about Republican safe states

>>> NEW REPORTING FROM INSIDE THE TRUMP CAMPAIGN HIGHLIGHTS A DONALD TRUMP WHO IS OBVIOUSLY RATTLED BY A SERIES OF EVENTS, IN LARGE PART DUE TO HIS INABILITY TO ADAPT OR ACCEPT, NOW FIND HIM TRAILING IN SEVERAL KEY BATTLEGROUND STATES. THE SCENARIO, SEEMINGLY UNIMAGINABLE. TRUMP HAS BEEN WHIPSAWED BY A SEVEN-WEEK ROLLER COASTER RIDE OF EVENTS, AN ATTEMPT ON HIS LIFE, THE SELECTION OF A RUNNING MATE, A GALVANIZING NEW RIVAL, IRANIAN ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT, AND RATHER THAN ADAPT TO CHANGING CIRCUMSTANCES, TRUMP HAS CHOSEN TO IGNORE MOST CAMPAIGN ADVICE AND LASH OUT, QUESTIONING HIS OPPONENT'S ETHNICITY, DELIVERING INCOHERENT AND UNHINGED PRESS CONFERENCES FROM MAR-A-LAGO AND CRYING ABOUT THE SIZE OF VICE PRESIDENT KAMALA HARRIS' CROWDS AT HER RALLIES. NOW HIS CAMPAIGN IS WORRIED ABOUT CARRYING EVEN IN THE STATE WHERE HIS RUNNING MATE SERVES AS SENATOR. QUOTE, TWO PRIVATE POLLS CONDUCTED IN OHIO RECENTLY BY PLN POLLSTER, SHOW DONALD TRUMP RECEIVING LESS THAN 50% AGAINST MS. HARRIS IN THE STATE, ACCORDING TO A PERSON WITH DIRECT KNOWLEDGE OF THE DATA. OHIO. NOT PENNSYLVANIA, MICHIGAN OR WISCONSIN. THEY ARE NOW WORRIED ABOUT OHIO. JOINING OUR CONVERSATION, EDITOR FOR THE "PLAIN DEALER" CHRIS QUINN, BACK WITH US AND EDDIE AND CLAIRE ARE HERE. WHEN I SAW THIS REPORTING IN "THE NEW YORK TIMES," I THOUGHT ABOUT YOUR REPORTING AND THE THINGS YOU'VE SHARED ON THIS PROGRAM. I THOUGHT OF YOU INSTANTLY. I'M SO HAPPY TO HAVE YOU. DO YOU THINK THEY'RE GOING TO BE LOOKING OVER THEIR SHOULDER IN OHIO? >> I HOPE SO, BUT I DO HAVE TO SAY THIS IS A RABBIT HOLE THAT I FEAR TO GO DOWN. THE LAST TWO ELECTIONS, ALL THE POLLING SHOWED IT WAS CLOSE AND WE REPORTED IT AND PARTICIPATED WITH BALDWIN WALLACE UNIVERSITY IN THE POLLING, IT TURNED OUT TO BE WAY OFF. HE WON BY EIGHT POINTS BOTH TIMES. BALDWIN WALLACE HAS STOPPED DOING HORSE RACE POLLS BECAUSE THEY'RE SO UNRELIABLE. I SAY THAT AS SOMEBODY WHO LIVES IN THIS STATE AND HAS BEEN HERE FOR 28 YEARS, AND I DO THINK THIS IS NOT A STATE THAT EMBRACES THE HATEFUL INVECTIVE YOU GET FROM DONALD TRUMP. YOU JUST HAD A CONVERSATION BEFORE THE BREAK ABOUT THE EXUBERANCE AND THE JOY YOU'RE SEEING IN THE DEMOCRATIC TICKET. AND AFTER EIGHT YEARS OF ALL THIS ANGER, I DO GET THE SENSE OHIO IS TIRED OF ALL OF THAT, DOES WANT TO LIKE THEIR CANDIDATES AGAIN. THEY'RE DECENT PEOPLE THAT LIVE HERE. SO I'M IN THE SMALL MINORITY OF PEOPLE WHO WATCH IN OHIO WHO THINK IT CAN HAPPEN, BUT I WOULD NEVER BASE IT ON POLLS, BECAUSE THEY'VE BEEN SO WRONG FOR SO LONG. >> WELL, AND, CHRIS, I KNOW FROM WORKING ON CAMPAIGNS, SOMETIMES IT'S NOT THAT YOU NECESSARILY THINK YOU'RE GOING TO LOSE A STATE, IT'S THAT YOU HAVE TO GO AND PROTECT IT. AND I THINK SOME OF WHAT -- MY GUESS, AFTER READING THIS REPORTING, IS THAT THE TRUMP CAMPAIGN IS POLLING IN OHIO TO PROTECT IT. AND THAT, TOO, IS A POLITICAL EXPENSE. WHEN YOU HAVE TO SPEND TIME IN OHIO, YOU CAN'T SPEND TIME IN NEVADA OR PENNSYLVANIA. WHEN YOU HAVE TO MAKE A TRIP TO TEXAS TO MAKE SURE YOU DON'T EMBARRASS YOURSELF, YOU'RE NOT SPENDING YOUR TIME IN THE BATTLEGROUNDS. AND I WONDERED IF THAT WAS PART OF IT. I THINK THE OTHER THING, WHAT WE KEEP TALKING TO YOU ABOUT, THAT'S J.D. VANCE. I MEAN, HE IS SO UNLIKABLE. HE IS SO EXTREME. YOU'VE GOT DONALD TRUMP SAYING, OH, THEY'RE NOT LABELING ME WEIRD, THEY'RE LABELING J.D. VANCE WEIRD. HE DOESN'T HAVE A DEFENDER ANYWHERE. >> WE DON'T SEE J.D. VANCE A LOT IN OHIO. HE'S EVERYWHERE BUT OHIO. IT'S INTERESTING YOU SAY ABOUT COMING HERE TO GUARD IT, BECAUSE WE'VE BEEN TALKING ABOUT DOING THE STORY SAYING, FOR THE FIRST TIME IN MANY DECADES, IN ALL OF OUR LIFETIMES, OHIO DOESN'T MATTER. THAT NO ONE WILL COME HERE, WE WON'T GET THE ADVERTISING. WE'VE BEEN BOMBARDED BY ALL THE VISITS AND ADVERTISING FOR YEARS, AND BASED ON WHAT YOU'RE SAYING, WE MIGHT STILL SEE THAT, WHICH WOULD BE INTERESTING. THE OTHER FACTOR, I'VE GOT TO TELL YOU, THE ONE I'M NOT UNDERSTANDING, SHERROD BROWN IS IN A TIGHT BATTLE, THE POLLS ARE UP AND PEOPLE LIKE HIM. HE'S NOT GOING TO THE DEMOCRATIC NATIONAL CONVENTION FOR THE FIRST TIME EVER AS FAR AS WE CAN TELL, AND WE DON'T SEE HIM EMBRACING THE DEMOCRATIC TICKET. AND I WOULD HAVE THOUGHT, BECAUSE OF WHAT WE'RE SEEING ELSEWHERE, HE WOULD WANT THEM TO COME HERE AND BARNSTORM THE STATE TO TRY AND CAPITALIZE ON THAT ENERGY. BUT HE'S RUNNING ALMOST APART FROM THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY, AND I DON'T KNOW HOW THAT PLAYS OUT ON ELECTION DAY. >> CLAIRE WANTS TO WEIGH IN ON THIS. >> CHRIS, THIS IS CLAIRE McCASKILL. DO YOU THINK THAT SHERROD IS TRYING TO MAKE SURE IT DOESN'T GET NATIONALIZED? SO MUCH OF HIS POPULARITY IS BASED ON WHO HE IS AND HAS ALWAYS BEEN. HE WAS A POPULIST BEFORE J.D. VANCE WAS EVEN SAYING IT OUT LOUD. HE HAD BEEN WORKING FOR THE FOLKS WHO TAKE A SHOWER AFTER WORK FOR AS LONG AS HE'S BEEN WALKING THE PLANET. SO DO YOU THINK THIS IS JUST HIM TRYING TO DECOUPLE FROM THE NATIONAL POLARIZED POLITICS? BECAUSE I FRANKLY THINK IT'S NOT GOING TO BE SHOCKING TO SEE KAMALA HARRIS AND TIM WALZ COME INTO OHIO AS FAR AS I'M CONCERNED. AND I DON'T THINK YOU'RE GOING TO HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT WHETHER OR NOT TRUMP SHOWS UP. I THINK THEY'RE GOING TO HAVE TO SHOW UP BEFORE THIS IS OVER. >> YEAH, YEAH, WE LOVE WHEN THAT HAPPENS. I THINK WHAT REALLY IS GOVERNING SHERROD BROWN'S MOVES ARE WHAT HAPPENED WITH J.D. VANCE'S ELECTION. J.D. VANCE REALLY HAD NO BUSINESS WINNING THAT ELECTION. HE WAS VIRTUALLY UNKNOWN AND HE WAS RUNNING AGAINST A PRETTY WELL KNOWN CANDIDATE IN TIM RYAN, A REGULAR GUY LIKE SLRD SHERROD BROWN, AND HE GOT BEATEN. IT WAS SIX POINTS, NOT NEARLY WHAT THE REST OF THE REPUBLICANS IN THE STATE WON BY. I THINK BROWN IS A LITTLE BIT AFRAID OF THAT. BUT THE GAME HAS CHANGED. LOOK, IF THE DEMOCRATIC TICKET COMES TO OHIO AND BARNSTORMS THE PLACE TO TRY TO FORCE DONALD TRUMP TO SPEND TIME HERE, I DO EXPECT SHERROD BROWN WILL BE ON THE STAGE WITH THEM. HE'S NOT GOING TO SHUN THE TICKET. THERE'S AN ENERGY IN THE LAND RIGHT NOW THAT HE COULD USE. BUT MAYBE -- YOU'RE RIGHT, MAYBE HE'S STAYING QUIET, HE DIDN'T THINK THERE WOULD BE NATIONAL CAMPAIGNING HERE BECAUSE WE'RE CONSIDERED A RED STATE, WHY DRAW THAT ATTENTION. >> IT IS SO INTERESTING. I WORKED ON THE 2004 BUSH CAMPAIGN AND CAREY AND BUSH WEREN'T JUST IN THE SAME STATE OR CITY. THEIR BUZZES WOULD CROSS EACH OTHER. THEY WERE TRAVELING THE SAME ROADS, AND T