Transcripts For MSNBC MSNBC Reports 20240911

Grown on our farm, enjoyed at your table. welcome back to our Special Coverage, msnbc reports Debate Day live from philadelphia. It is a gorgeous day here. Hello, im chris jansing. As a democratic strategist put it, its like running a 5k after riding a tiltawhirl. Thats how hes describing Tonights Showdown between Kamala Harris and Donald Trump. 90 minutes that could reshape the final 55 days of a race that has been stubbornly tight. Heres our first look at the stage inside the national constitution center. Were told harris has just arrived for a walkthrough ahead of her meeting with Donald Trump, who she has actually never met before. We have details on how the Vice President s team is already taunting trump in the runup to their faceoff. Also, new Exclusive Reporting About What Trump sees as his biggest challenge tonight. Nbcs Yamiche Alcindor covers the Harris Campaign and Garrett Haake covers the trump campaign. If only if people could have heard our conversation in the break. We are psyched, actually. I mean, i know were political nerds, but this is going to be something, and both sides are gaming it out, including, yamiche, theres a few little ads being popped up around philadelphia. Whats going on there . Yeah, so part of what the Harris Campaign really is trying to do is get under Donald Trumps skin. If you can look at it, at what we put up. You have Crowd Size matters, theyre leaning into the Philadelphia Food Scene with a Big Pretzel next to the Name Harris and a small pretzel next to the name trump. And also some wawa, if you want soft coffee, its wawa, but if youre proud about your Crowd Size, its wha, wha. Theyre trying to get at the fact that they think that Donald Trump is focused on himself, his own Crowd Sizes and what he thinks makes him look good and not whats focused on whats best for the american people. Because her job will be not only to needle Donald Trump and get him to lash out, but introduce herself and outline what a Harris Administration would look like. That means talking about things like helping out with affordable housing, helping out with the economy. Helping out with Peoples Grocery bills. She wants americans to come away, especially those undecided voters, those people who are on the fence, wondering what to do. She really wants them to come away feeling like a Harris Administration would help my life out. And they also her team wants them to really understand those voters, who she is, so talking about her background as a child of immigrants, talking about sort of what makes her tick as a child of a middle Class Family members, who was raised by a mostly single mother. So thats really her focus tonight. But theres a little bit of that needling, thats of course going on. A little bit, i would say, yes. So, garrett, you had a Phone Call with Donald Trump today. Enough of that already. Weve already talked about, hes ready to go. Im so curious about if theres actually a strategy, something that the campaign has laid out. A Road Map for him, that they would like him to follow. There is. And whether he follows it is a separate question, that i dont know if well have time for. But the strategy, as it exists, is this. On every Policy Position Kamala Harris has ever taken in her career, they want to take the furthest left, the furthest out of the mainstream in their View Version of whatever she has said and make that her position now. They want to tie her to what they think are the positions that will most turn off those available voters who might be left in the middle of this electorate. Thats job one when it comes to dividing Kamala Harris. Job two, elise, so if youre trying to sell Donald Trump, so to lean into what seen in some of the recent public polls, and that is that most people consider him the candidate of change. A lot of folks say theyre unhappy with the direction that the country is going, and they think trump is more likely to deliver that change than is Kamala Harris, this sitting Vice President. If they can kind of double down on that, they think thats a path that Donald Trump can basically walk all the way back to the white house. Again, thats the plan. Whether he executes on it is an open question, and whether Kamala Harris is able to get under his skin in a way that makes that execution harder, i think, is very much an open question. And probably, perhaps, the singlemost telling thing that could happen On Stage. Garrett and yamiche, we thank you both so much for being with us. Part of the reason the Stakes Tonight are so high is that polls have consistently shown this incredibly tight race, even beyond the normal battlegrounds. Take a look at the latest morning consult poll, where it shows trump only leading harris by two points in his Home State of florida, which he carried in 2016 and 2022. I talked to the head of the democratic party there yesterday. She really thinks its within reach. Well see. But this is within the Polls Margin of error. Nbcs Steve Kornacki Is Manning the Big Board At Msnbc Headquarters in New York. So, steve, what else do the polls tell us going into the Debate Tonight . Take a look here, chris. First, nationally, this is the average of all the major national polls that we keep here. Harris, 47. Trump, 45, nationally. And in a couple of ways of looking at it. Again, harris, this is better for democrats than when Joe Biden was the candidate. He was trailing all year. And this is better for republicans, better for trump than in his two previous president ial campaigns at this point. He was down much more in 2020 at this point against Joe Biden. He was down more at this point in 2016 against hillary clinton. And what hovers over all of this, chris, is what we saw in 2016, hillary clinton, the democrat, wins the popular vote, Donald Trump wins the Electoral College, and what we almost saw in 2020 again with a disconnect there. Joe biden winning the popular vote handily in 2020, Donald Trump coming this close to winning the Electoral College. The question for democrats is even if Kamala Harris is leading in the national polling right now, is that enough of a buffer when you get down to the states that are actually going to decide the path to 270. These are what we consider the core seven Battleground States. And these are our average of the polls in those states. The headline, no surprise, is theyre extremely close here. A point and a half in arizona, half a point in georgia, 1. 7 in nevada, a tie in north carolina. You do see harris in wisconsin, with a little bit more of a cushion there in the average than in the other states, but that gets to the other question. Theres the popular vote, Electoral College Disconnect that we saw in 16 and 20, with the Question Of, does Donald Trump have a bit of an advantage in the Electoral College again. Could he win the Electoral College, while losing the popular vote. The other one is, the polls in these Battleground States, we saw them miss badly in some places, in 2020. Also, 2016. And the places where they missed the worse, wisconsin was the biggest miss of 2020. It overstated democratic support the most. Same thing happened in 2016 for that matter. Michigan was another pretty substantial miss in 2020. Again, overstating democratic support, understating trump support. Its the polling misses that weve seen these last two elections have not been evenly spread out. Were not seeing the same miss in every state. Its a lot more geographically, a lot more demographically specific. It seems in the last two elections, you talk about a Blue Collar white voters, white voters without two or fouryear degrees, thats becoming a trump constituency, and the polling underestimated trumps support from that demographic in those states. They have such high populations of Blue Collar white voters. Thats another question. Are we seeing that again. Are these policy especially in these states going to overstate democratic support again or are we going to find out theres a new type of polling, a new type of polling, maybe theyll be right, but that is the question when you look at these numbers. Always remember, we saw misses in those states the last time around. And in terms of Tonights Debate, the stakes here, a lot of attention to this one. New york times, siena poll. More than a quarter of voters coming into this debate saying they want to learn more about Kamala Harris. They need to. Donald trump much more of a known qupt. And then thats Question Of Change Versus Status quo. This New York times siena poll, a majority say Kamala Harris would be more of the same. Shes the incumbent Vice President in an popular administration. And the majority, 53 say that trump represents major change. From harris standpoint, all of those voters who say they want to learn more, is she telling them, im change, im not status quo. Is she able to do that tonight . Maybe something to look for. Its something critical, i think. Steve kornacki, thank you so much. The tenor of Tonights Debate is going to be shaped in at least in part to the rules that were agreed to by both campaigns, but after a bit of a fight. Nbcs Monica Alba is here with me. This is important. Take us through them. Its important, because also the context is that both of these campaigns, back when it was the Biden Team and the Trump Team had come to an agreement on some of these rules. Now that the Harris Campaign has taken over, they went through this and they said, we would like some changes to this. Theres something specifically that they would express their most disappointment in, and thats the issue of the muted microphone. Back when it was Joe Biden and Donald Trump On Stage back at The End of june. When it wasnt one of their turns to speak, the microphone was muted, except for some very brief crosstalk at The End. Tonight, the rules are the same, even though the Harris Team says they wish that the Mic Phones could be unmuted so americans could get an unfiltered View And Portrait of how Donald Trump behaves On Stage. Because they believe he will delve into these personal attacks and have some derogatory comments that he mutters under his Breath Or Something like that, and they say that people should have a right to hear that. In terms of the other debate rules, they didnt take issue with that, the length. Its 90 minutes, a couple of short commercial breaks. Well be interesting to see are there any interactions that take place during these commercial breaks. These are two people that have never met facetoface. Theyve never had any interactions like the one were about to have tonight. And theres no audience. Thats the other Difference And Departure from some of the primary debates weve seen in recent years. This will be with the two moderators from Abc News who are seated in the studio with them presenting the questions. Then theres this moment of whats going to happen at The End of the debate. Last time, we saw first lady Jill Biden briefly go out and meet the president. For tonight, were told, you can expect to see Second Gentlemen Doug Emhof and other relatives of the Vice President come out, but an open question, Will Melania Trump be there with her question . We didnt see her in june. Thats another question about will she be here tonight. Monica alba, thank you so much. And tonight, Rachel Maddow and team will lead Special Coverage of analysis of Kamala Harris and former President Trumps first president ial debate hosted by abc. Be sure to tune in. It all gets started at 7 00 p. M. Eastern right here on msnbc. And in 90 seconds, what may be Donald Trumps biggest challenge tonight, staying on message. A debate is interesting, you really you can go in with all the strategy you want, but you have to sort of feel it out as the debates taking place. Ive seen it. You go in there and you have a strategy. Mike tyson made the statement, everybody has a plan until they get punched in the face. A plan get punched in the face. Are now being analyzed and restored using the power of Dell Ai. When bad allergies hit, Trust Claritin to keep you in the game. nothing is proven more effective for 24hour, nondrowsy Allergy Relief in 1 pill. Live claritin clear. looking good, guys thanks vacations are better with the Credit Gods are on your side. Im coming up rewards once available to the few are now accessible to the many. Earn points for travel with credit one bank, and live large. When life spells heartburn. How do you spell relief . Rolaids rolaids dualactive formula begins to neutralize acid on contact. Rolaids spells relief. Allies of Donald Trump hope Tonights Debate will mark The End of what they see as Kamala Harris postconvention honeymoon. Critical to that, whether trump can stick to Substance Zpa on message. Just last week when asked about his child care policy, trump gave a winding Twominute Answer that was widely panned as incomprehensible, incoherent, and gibberish, but he recently defended his rhetorical style as a mark of brilliance. You know, i do the weave. You know what the weave is . Ill talk about nine different things and they all come back brilliantly together. And friends of mine that are like english professors, they say, its the most brilliant thing ive ever seen. Joining me now is marc short, Meet The Press contributor, cnbc contributor, and former Chief Of Staff to Vice President mike pence. Its good to see you. You know, Joe Biden is gone. Trump is now the one facing questions about his age and cognitive ability. A lot of supporters still say, Let Trump Be trump. But is it possible that he could be his own worst Enemy Tonight if he doesnt rein it in a little . What do you think . Trumps going to be trump. It doesnt matter how much advice he gets. Hes pretty confident in his own Skill Set. And i think he has a commanding presence, usually on the debate stage. And he can be entertaining for a lot of people. I think he knows how to communicate very effectively. I do think, however, chris, that his challenge is actually if you get deep into the policy, its not a strong suit for him. So i think therell be questions, to what extent can the Moderators Tonight really push both of them to give bigger, deeper explanations on their Policy Subscriptions for the future of our country. You know, the Harris Campaign has been aggressively registering younger voters, polling shows they strongly support age limits on candidates. How much pressure do you think trump is under to demonstrate to these younger voters, specifically, but i think to the larger electorate, that hes still up to the job . Chris, i dont sense that thats a big concern for a lot of the voters. I mean, i dont think that age is equal for everybody. And i do think that that was a big impediment for Joe Biden in the way he performed in his first debate. If trump had a Debate Performance like that, perhaps it would be a bigger issue. But i think that for all of his strengths and liabilities, i dont think most americans think that he lacks the energy to do this job. Even though hes 78 years old, i think he clearly has plenty of energy. I wonder, and you know, speaking about the fact that its highly unlikely that Donald Trump is suddenly going to reinvent himself, but we have seen him be more disciplined at times in the past. I mean, i dont know if theres a risk of him being boring, but is the biggest threat to harris potentially if he does stay more on message, if he does listen to his advisers . I think in a way, the best opportunity for trump is to be on message. I do think that polling continues to show that some of the biggest vulnerabilities for the biden Harris Administration Play Right into Donald Trumps strengths, whether thats the Economy And Inflation or the border crisis. If hes able to stay focused on those issues, i think it certainly plays to his advantage. And as you said, chris, i remember in the campaign in 2016, you know, the question was, can he be disciplined . The last couple of weeks, there really were not have many tweets out of the campaign. And his speeches were pretty much scripted. And he stayed on script. He has the ability to do that. The question is, will he. And i think theres a lot of good reason to be skeptical that he will. If he does stay on message about the border and the economy, keep the focus there, i think that plays to his advantage. I also want to ask you about the possibility of Donald Trump preparing an answer. We do hear a lot of the same things from here, right . But some of the biggest moments, the most memorable moments came across as unscripted. Im thinking, for example, of ronald reagan, when asked about his age, said he was not going to exploit his Opponents Youth and inexperience. That was something that they practiced. That was something that was written for him. Does Donald Trump go into tonight saying, oh, im going to deliver this, this is the line ive been preparing. This is the thought ive been having . Or is it just all let it fly . He might, chris. I actually think that thats been more of a Skill Set of harris, to be honest. Whether or not it was the line that i was that girl on the bus, or whether or not it was in her debate against pence saying, im speaking now. I think that that has been more a rhetorical skill of hers, but i think that trump might, but i think that he does have enormous confidence in his own Skill Set and thinks that he can do this sort of on the fly. And i think the weakness of that is sometimes theres not the same level of grasp on the true policy. And i think that if harris has truly been preparing for this last week, holed up in the pittsburgh hotel, and has gotten deeper on some of the Policy Prescriptions she has, that can be an advantage to her if it actually becomes a policy debate. And i think its clear that trump is more comfortable that its a personality debate. We listen to the man who has had his boss go up against her, marc short. Thank you so much. We really appreciate you coming on the show today. Thanks. And still ahead, its a place with a reputation for correctly picking President S. How we weary county go, so does pennsylvania and the country. Well get insight from the democratic and republican chairs, next. Ght from the democratic and republican chairs, next this one is for you. With fastsigns, create Factory Grade visual solutions to perfect your process. Fastsigns. Make your statement™. With dexcom g7, managing your diabetes just got easier. So, whats your Glucose Number right now . Good thing you dont need to fingerstick. Hows all that food affect your glucose . Oh, the answers on your phone. What if youre heading low at night . [notifications ringing] wow, it can alert you . and you can even track your goals. Manage your diabetes with confidence with dexcom g7. The most accurate cgm. Learn more at dexcom. Com. 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Leo [whistling] ever since we introduced him to the farmers dog, its changed his quality of life. Leos number 2s are really getting better. Better poo, better you thats a good boy, leo it is the bellwether of one of novembers biggest battlegrounds. A small Pennsylvania County with outsized political impact. Erie county, about a Twohour Drive North of pittsburgh, and it is known for picking President S. Voters there went for Barack Obama twice, then Donald Trump in 2016, and then, by a margin of just 1,500 votes, Joe Biden in 2020. So what will those voters be waiting to hear tonight at the debate . Joining me now, Erie County chairs for each party who can answer that question for us, Sam Telerico is the Erie County democratic chair, tom is the Erie County republican chair. I am delighted to have the two of you there. In many past election cycles, i have been to Erie County. And sam, i want to start with the intense rhetoric that has shaped this election cycle, that a lot of voters frankly are saying they want to stop. You work in the same county. You know. Can you guys have a civil conversation with the other side of the aisle . Absolutely, chris. And first of all, its an honor to be on your show. We have you on at the office every day from 1 00 to 3 00 and were real fans of your work. Its absolutely, we can have a civil conversation. We know that tonight, we would expect we know that Kamala Harris needs to introduce herself to a lot of voters and i have every confidence that shes just going to knock it out of the park. Tom, we know debates can get especially heated. And given the rhetoric, weve already seen, right, from both sides. I wonder what youre hearing from voters in your county. Do they want Civility Tonight . And what specifically, if there are undecideds, are they looking for . Well, i think theyre looking for policy. They want to know what each of the candidates are going to do to make their life better. They noticed kind of Like Reagan once said, are you better off four Years Today than you were four years ago . And i think thats a fair question to ask you. Weve had inflation has risen to 9. 1 during the biden Harris Administration. They obviously, inflation has come down, but its still cumulative over 20some percent. And people who go to the Grocery Store have to buy groceries that are 30 higher, and gas is sometimes 50 higher. So i think the people of Erie County as well as the nation, theyre looking for a candidate that will provide them with a direction to make this country a little more affordable to live in and to raise your family in. Sam, as you know, that is what the polls exactly show. People are concerned about the cost of groceries, theyre concerned about inflation. They dont care about numbers, they care about their pocketbook and how they feel. How does she address that tonight and what does she say to the voters of Erie County, who have questions about somebody who has been part of Joe Bidens economic policy. What do they want to hear about hers . Well, you know, democrats go to the Grocery Store, too, and i think the important distinction here is how we move forward. Kamala harris has a plan to stop price gauging. She has a plan to build 300 new Housing Units to bring down the cost of buying a house and of rent. She supports a 15 minimum wage. We know Autoworkers Employment is up to its highest level in 34 years. And if you contrast that with Donald Trump, we know what the republicans have done in congress, where they have the house, what theyve done about inflation, theyve complained about it, theyve done absolutely nothing. Proposed no legislation. Donald trumps only economic plans to counter inflation are a 10 tariff on all goods from china, which will result in a 10 Tax Cut for the middle class. And of course, the only things he did with four years in office economically was Tax Cuts for the wealthy. Hell extend those and try to get even more cuts. And its important to note that of those Tax Cuts, 30 of that money for Tax Cuts went to foreigners, who made money in america, and i dont think thats popular with anyone. Tom, i am curious, why do you think Erie County keeps getting it right. And what do you think ultimately is going to make the difference . I think with regard to what sam said about bidens economic policy, i can look at the Labor Department statistics and show in the first three years of trumps administration, 6. 3 Million jobs were created. Of those 6. 3 Million, heres a number most people dont understand, is only 17,000 were parttime jobs. From 2020 through The End of last of this year, just to about now, the biden Labor Department said that he created 3 Million jobs and of those 3 Million jobs, 1. 2 million are parttime. So what we have seen in Bidens Economy is people are losing fulltime jobs and having to take parttime jobs to make up for it. And thats not a prosperous economy. And with regard to Erie County, i always look at Erie County as being a miniature pennsylvania. If you drive across the state of this wonderful commonwealth, you will find a lot of agricultural areas, you will get to pittsburgh, philadelphia, youll find a lot of manufacturing and things like that, and you find the exact same makeup here in Erie County. We have large manufacturers, we have small tool and die manufacturers, we have a tremendous agricultural area. We have a lot of diversity with regard to race, diversity with regard to ethnic standing, religion, we have an immigration population. Weve got everything that you find throughout the entire state of pennsylvania. And because of that, i think thats why you see that the Erie County electorate has a tendency to vote for the winner, in the last ten major elections, Erie County has always voted for the person that won. And so thats pretty good. Were a smart group of people. I think theyve got a chance, those who are undecided, to learn some things tonight. I would love to see the two of you on a debate stage, by the way. Its always great to go into the counties that are going to decide this election, so Sam Telerico, and tom eddy, i thank both of you very much. Still to come, its expected to be one of the biggest issues on the stage tonight. How will Kamala Harris take the Abortion Fight to Donald Trump and is he ready to respond . O dop and is he ready to respond finan she switched careers to make money for your weddings. Ooh Penny Stocks are blowing up. Sweetie, grab your piggy bank, were going all in. Let me ask you. For your wedding, do you want a gazebo and a river . Uh, i dont. Whats a gazebo . Something that your mother always wanted and never got. Or. You could give these different Investment Options a shot. The right money moves arent as aggressive as you think. Im keeping the vest. Kamala harris often proclaims at her rallies Donald Trump did this, referring to strict State Laws as Trump Abortion bans and holding him accountable for illegal threats to ivf. Trump, for his part, has said that Abortion Laws should be left to the states, while noting that he is proud of his role in ending roe v. Wade. Their faceoff comes as the new poll from the 19th has trump trailing harris by three points. The poll finds that slight edge is largely thanks to women, who Rate Abortion rights as one of their top issues. I want to bring in editor at large at the 19th, errin haines. Also with us here, former Communications Director for jeb bushs 2016 Campaign And Msnbc political analyst, tim miller. And national political reporter at the washington post, sabrina rodriguez. Okay, erin, your poll went even beyond Abortion Rights and found how unpopular other issues are that could restrict reproductive rights. Give us the details. Chris, thank you so much for highlighting our State Of The Nation poll, which came out today in partnership with survey monkey. We talked to over 20,000 americans including 18,000 registered voters and, yes, what do we know from talking to them . That that is likely going to be a close race, once again, women are going to be the deciders of the Election And Abortion and reproductive rights are among the top issues for those voters. So among the other things that we found, most americans do not believe that a fetus should have the legal rights of a person. 53 of the people in our poll rejected the ideology such as fetal personhood. That was something the republicans opened the door to. 41 of americans said that the government should protect a fetus rights since the moment of conception. Theres a stark partisan divide and a stark Gender Divide to that. And 54 of believe that abortion should be illegal all of the time. We know that issues like ivf, which became an issue after that alabama after what happened in alabama, you saw Vice President Kamala Harris and minnesotas governor Tim Walz talking about ivf, saying if republicans are elected, theyre going to threaten the availability of ivf, which is why i think you see President Trump now in an effort to respond, saying that if hes elected, hes going to make Insurance Cover Ivf at no cost, not sure how thats going to happen. Maybe Thats Something we hear about in the debate. This is an issue thats so important to so many american voters. And as voters are attempting to getting to know Vice President harris in particular, so many people are saying that they still dont know who she is, wanting to know not just who those candidates are, but where they stand on these issues that are important to them and could affect how they vote in november. And of course, sabrina, every election is a turnout election, it always cracks me up when everyone says it all comes down to turnout. You get more of your voters out, funny, you win. Lets talk about this as part of abortion. Ive ben spending at of time on the phone with democratic Party Chairs in wisconsin, florida. All mentioned abortion and they also talked about it as a motivating factor for college students, how many registered college students, how theyre breaking records on this issue in particular. Of course, then, you have to get them actually to the polls. But could this be the year that young voters, college students, make a significant difference in these Battleground States . Absolutely. On this issue. And on this issue. I mean, weve already seen evidence of this being a Galvanizing Issue in the 2022 midterms. We saw the level of efforts that took place in some of these Battleground States and college campuses, in 2022, really around this. It was less about a specific candidates and it was about, weve already seen the impact of your vote. Weve already seen the impact when Donald Trump appointed these Supreme Court justices that led to the overturning of roe v. Wade. Theyve been able to show, these are tangible the impact of votes. Talking to young voters, what comes up is this idea of feeling, does my Vote Matter . Has anything changed, feeling disillusioned with washington. And this is a tangible thing that democrats can point to and say, look, in north carolina, we saw an Abortion Ban be put in place, in florida, we saw an Abortion Ban be put in place. Now in florida, they have a constitutional amendment being put up on the ballot for a vote. There are tangible examples that democrats are getting to point to to say, this is how your vote actually can matter and this impacts your life in a very real way, especially if you are a young woman, especially in these states. I talked to the democratic Party Chair in florida. She thinks that this is a big reason this race is tightening there. But of the many things im curious about, about tonight, whats Donald Trump going to say about abortion . Because she will press him on it. Yeah, and he wants to muddy the waters. Hes all over the place. Right, erin, hes going to say free ivfs, tariffs are going to pay for ivfs. On the issue of abortion, hes not trying to make a coherent argument. He wants people to be confused. He knows its a loser. And not that it matters, he doesnt even really believe it personally, almost certainly. He knows if you look at florida, for example, that Ballot Issue that hes branded with, hes stuck with, because he got so much pressure from the evangelical right, that is almost certainly going to pass while republicans probably win statewide. Lets be honest, there was a poll in missouri, it had trump up like 15, but the Ballot Initiative in missouri on the prochoice side winning, a very red state. So they know he knows its a bad issue. Its going to be Kamalas Job Tonight to try to pin him down. And hes going to, you know, just be trying whatd he call it . The weave. Hell be weaving when it comes to abortion. In addition to being a winning issue for her, its a little bit of a defensive issue and protects her from the issues that shes changed on. Hell try to say to her, youve changed on all of these issues, youre a phony. And shell say, whos a phony, you changed your position on that Abortion Referendum two times in 24 hours last week. Your poll also shows the vast majority of americans, across party lines, thinks that schools should be teaching the Countrys History of slavery, racism, segregation, including 85 of those who identify or lean republican. So talk to me about the significance of that and what else your poll found on the issue of schools and education. Yeah, thanks for asking about that, too, chris. Yes, educational, also a huge issue. And not necessarily in the ways that people may think about it, as just that single issue, right . I think which is why youre seeing the Vice President Tie Education to the issue of freedom, right . The freedom to learn. What you think your child should be talking without, you know, your state, federal, local, government telling you what to do or what your child should or should not know about the history of this country. And so, you know, i think that is something that youve heard Vice President harris talk about on the campaign trail. It will be interesting to see whether or not that is something that comes up tonight. We know that, obviously, republicans on the issue of education and in particular on the issue of history, are not in agreement with that stance, or have different ideas about what history should be taught. And so that is yet another Point Of contrast, that if aluminated on a stage like tonight, could further help voters determine which candidate they want to support, based on where they come down on this issue. And its not just about history, tim. As you know, trump has talked about schools being purveyors of extremism, particularly when it comes to race and gender. And weve seen how unpopular that could be when you try to put these kinds of limits and bring politics into schools. In florida, more of Ron Desantis candidates for School Boards lost than won. So do you think tonight this makes this another tricky issue for Donald Trump, or is it just more of the same . A little bit. I think republicans tricked themselves into thinking this was a good issue, because it worked for glenn youngkin, at this one moment in time, three years ago. And when people saw it in practice, they were like, wait a minute, do we really want the Culture Wars in our fourth Grade Classroom . Not really. This is a perception versus reality thing. On trumps side, hes going to do youve been seeing on the campaign trail, youve been doing this thing about how johnny goes to school and gets a Transition Surgery and comes home a different gender. This is nonsense, bs. You do hear from nonpolitical parents who are like, im a little bit concerned about what theyre teaching in schools and all of that. If he stays general, i think conceivably, this could be a wash. If youre Kamala Harris, anytime he goes into the muck on this, we have to talk about things that people actually care about. And the more hes talking about, you know, transgender surgeries happening in schools, i think the more that she can pivot back to more of a realitybased argument. She also clearly believes that americans want the Department Of Education and she will probably, sabrina, lean into the fact that project 2025 would love to see it gone. Oh, no question. Im sure we will be Hearing Project 2025 mentioned many times tonight. Is there going to be a Drinking Game every time not me. I will not, because i want to make it to The End of the night. But i think that that just drives home the point where shes going tooub how this election is about freedoms, how this is the election where you might not agree with someone on a certain issue, you might not agree on certain, you know, education rights and certain beliefs, but the reality is that everyone has a choice in this country and thats sort of what shes been leaning in on. And to what tim was saying, when you go on the campaign trail, the person talking about the Culture War issues is Donald Trump, is republican candidates. When youre listening to Kamala Harris and Tim Walz, theyre talking about lgbtq rights, gun rights, the economy, especially the economy. They make mention of immigration. Theyre trying to focus on the issue that they know voters really care about. And theyre driving home that these Culture Wars have been taken to an extreme, that it is something that we saw with the shooting in georgia last week, unfortunately, where it was brought back to this Point Of, oh, there was such a Focus On Banning Books in schools, but really, we should be talking about gun control. And im sure that is a message well be hearing tonight from Kamala Harris. For the record, my drink of choice has always been water. Cold brew for me today. Staying up. Im on until 1 00 a. M. Or something. Oh, Geez Errin haines, that poll was fascinating. Thank you for bringing it to us. Sabrina rodriguez, thank you, tim miller, youre not going anywhere. Right after the break the over under on what to expect tonight. Millions arent just watching, theyre betting money on it. A Food Fight . Yes. Unfortunately, there are many people that they would rather their ideas be presented to the world, not the facts. R ideas be world, not the facts for effortless protection. Zevo. 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A knowledgeable, licensed humana Sales Agent will explain your coverage options. And, if youre eligible, help you enroll over the phone. Its that easy Call Today and well also send this free guide. Humana. A more Human Way to healthcare. Tonight, Donald Trump and Kamala Harris hope the odds will be in their favor, while online, a Highstakes Version of Debate Bingo is playing out with millions of dollars in bets. According to the Crypto Trading Platform polymarket, 27 think that Trump And Harris will shake hands at the start of the debate, 58 also predict that harris will refer to trump as a convicted felon. 47 believe that Will Trump will refer to her as the nickname comrade kamala. Finally, 75 say postdebate polls will show harris as the winner tonight. Tim miller back with me for our rapidfire round. Also with us, nbc national political reporter, jonathan allen. Okay, john, who has more to lose tonight . I think the way they look at it is that Kamala Harris has more range, right . Everyone knows Donald Trump. They know how they feel about him, but Kamala Harris could knock it out of the ballpark or fall flat, and there are a lot of people trying to figure out what they think of her. Certainly a lot on her tonight to either perform really well, or start to do make up fast. All right, tim, muted mics. What happens there . Look, just for starters, i like the value on that 27 handshake. I think theyll do a handshake. You do . Yeah, i will. The muted mics helps trump. Its reality and its unfortunate that the Biden Team negotiated that. I hope that kamala has something in her Back Pocket on that, like, you know, your handlers muzzled you. Because it does take away the sort of Alpha Persona he tries to put on, hopefully she can use it to her advantage. Anecdotally, i think in the New York times poll, 28 of voters say they need to learn more about harris. She has 90 minutes tonight, biggest, almost certainly, viewership that shell have throughout this election. So what does she do . She still has to clear the bar of believability as a president of the united states, which every candidate has to do in order to win the presidency. Donald trumps done it before. A lot of people thought he unpresident ed himself. But hes done it himself. Shes got to go out there and show strength. Not only that shes looking out for her family, but shes capable of protecting her family. Lets do it dc bars are rolling out Debate Night bars. One popular hangout for hill staffers is selling 9 coconut drinks. Another spot is offering 5 red, white, and blue jello shots. If theres one Thing Youll put on your Bingo Card that will be said over and over again, it would be . Project 2025. We already did that what have you got . When we fight, we win. I think well hear that tonight. There you go. Biggest viewership ever . Yes. Yeah. Because, a, the last debate was the most consequential debate of our lifetimes, and this may be the only time to see her. The last time the debate knocked out a candidate, now debates matter. They certainly can. John, tim, gentlemen, i use that word expressively. Thank you, chris. Thatll do it for us for this hour. Stay tuned, weve got a lot more Special Coverage from philadelphia. And dont forget to tune in for our primetime coverage of the Debate Led by Rachel Maddow. For now, Jose Diazbalart and Ana Cabrera pick up our coverage live from philadelphia. A cabrere live from philadelphia breath, i thought thats what getting older felt like. Thank goodness. I called my cardiologist. I have attrcm, a rare but serious disease. And getting diagnosed early. Made a difference. If you have any of these warning signs, dont wait, ask your cardiologist about attrcm today. [suspenseful music] trains. [whoosh] trains that use the power of Dell Ai and intel. Clearing the way, [rumble] [whoosh] so you arrive exactly where you belong. Ah, these bills are crazy. She has no idea shes sitting on a goldmine. 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