The final act the 2024 campaign nears a cliffhanger conclusion with just seven days until a debate. Are there even more plot twist since store for the country plus a violation, the service members, son of john mccain, says donald trump's arlington stunt disrespect did the men and women who died to defend democracy also a campaign conundrum for the democratic nominee does joe biden, what our friends our great remind voters of all the things he's done or all the things he didn't get done and a truck trailer? yes. Solo judea. This is donald trump, the first clip from the movie, the republican nominee doesn't want you to see he injects more drama into an election thriller live at the table. Michael, eric dyson may mailman coleman hughes leah wright rigueur welcome to a special edition of newsnight, state of the race good evening. I'm abby phillip in new york. Let's get right to what america is talking about where the trump team thinks it can compete and where it can't. Turns out one of those places may or may not be the state of new new hampshire. Tonight breaking we are learning that this trump campaign official wrote this memo to supporters saying new hampshire is gone. It says the campaign is determined that new hampshire is no longer a battleground state. That means the campaign is suspending all resources staffers, supplies, speakers, et cetera, to new hampshire. What are we to do go to pennsylvania, that's the nearest battleground state that might just be a simple statement of fact, he was suspended for it and the trump campaign is saying they're still competing i think that this is an issue of incompetence more so than we can't win. It looks like the trump campaign just never got around to staffing new hampshire like they should. And so it seems like tom mountain good guy, was like, you know what, let's go to pennsylvania. But actually now trump has come out and said we actually are very invested in new hampshire. But the thing is, it's four electoral votes. It just in a close election. I mean, the reason that states like new hampshire and these places where you have a single electoral vote matters because because when it's close, it matters. But i mean, i heard you saying that i was thinking what else has the trump campaign been doing and they didn't have much of a primary. I mean, shouldn't new hampshire have been something if they wanted to fight for it, that was on the map for them. Well, yeah. I mean, they should they should have had a more robust and coordinated strategy going back months and it looks like they haven't at this point, it might be the smart strategy to say we've actually just, we've basically lost this state. So let's focus on the bigger states that we still have a chance in. Of course, even smarter than that would've been two invest in this state months ago that said, new hampshire hasn't been won by republicans since 2000, right? since, since bushes, firstterm i'm so i think the trump campaign was seduced by the fact that he got 3,000 votes away from winning in 2016, which is the closest republicans have gotten in the longer term, do have a very popular republican governor. There. You know, their state legislature is split 5050. They've got statewide elected republicans there, secretary of state, for example. So new hampshire is competitive in the sense that they habitually vote republican except for sometimes on it rahm, but not for trauma and something has happened with harris. I mean, harris, the latest granite state poll by unh up seven points above above trump's. So she's really changed the dynamic make up this race. I do want to get to another topic because this is the one of the other things we talked about, trump not being popular in new hampshire. He's not popular in a lot of places. One of the other reasons for that is the way that he handles moments like this whole arlington national cemetery dustup it's a question of sure. There he was invited by some families, but did he break the rules for the other families who did not invite him? and here's what he said to sean hannity tonight it was no conflict. There was no fight. It was no anything and i get home that night and i get a call from one of the people that is press sir, there's a story that your people got into a tremendous fight with people representing the the saboteur there was some kind of conflict. There was an incident they've confirmed that and trump there are choices here, right. Paths on the road. He could say a mistake was made. We shouldn't have done it even though we were invited, but he's doubled down. His campaign has doubled down yeah. And i actually think that this is more common than we realize that there are a lot of people who have gone into arlington national cemetery and politicized it. But one of the things that we see almost immediately is that as soon as it comes to light, that this has been used for political reasons, or what have you, which is against federal law once those things happen, you see a backtracking, you see those things things, those pictures, those documents, the video, get pulled immediately. The best example that i can think of in 1999, john mccain uses as part of this primary gop contest footage of him walking somberly through arlington national cemetery. And as soon as he is rebuked for this, he pulls in and he says, absolutely not. This shouldn't have been used what i think is unique about what we're seeing right now is that donald trump is actually doubling down and so the campaign is still using those images. They're still using that footage we've seen a lot go out and circulate, despite the fact that even though several families said yes, we did invite him several other families have said very publicly that they felt like it dishonored the memory of their children. Their spouses, their partners, whoever that lie in arlington national cemetery, that this is sacred space and it's also nonpolitical to your point. I mean, it's it's the law like i mean, it is the law for reason. You mentioned john mccain and his son notably came out today in an exclusive interview with cnn and talked about this particular moment and used it to argue against trump. Listen it's a violation because these rules are set in place there joining the military because they feel it's the right thing. And the least we can do is when they're gone, if they win, they're in arlington is to respect the rules and regulations that are in place, not politicizing the fact that these men and women are there. Go show respect and he is now supporting vice president harris mccain right? yeah. It's rather remarkable though his father, of course, was known to be a rather independently minded republican. I mean, he was a deep and profound conservative, but he was open mind i have a fan, place in my heart and memory for john mccain. I testified before his senate committee and we engaged in rather vigorous exchanges of disagreement, but immediately he sought me out afterward and gave me a high compliment and from then we developed a kind of friendship over the year. So here's a man who was a maverick who was intending upon preserving american democracy remember, during his campaign for the presidency against obama, when one of his supporters stood up in may very, very negative statements about president obama. Then senator obama, he said, no, he's an american citizen listen, we just happen to disagree. So i think let me just say, i think then that his son is continuing that tradition and this is easy. This is low hanging fruit. You know what i made a mistake. I'm sorry. Let me move on. Even if trump didn't himself witness that this kind of consternation that he evokes constantly is part of his brand and it's going to hurt him. I think the i'm sorry that we're waiting for is from president biden and from the last person in the room for i'm sorry for that botched withdrawal from afghanistan in which your family members were killed, in which we gave billions, tens of billions of dollars to terrorists, in which women, by the millions lost their rights. And i think it's funny to talk about politicizing this moment when jimmy mccain off the top broke, where are you from saying i am, you know, i'd like to say something here because you're politicizing it. So i think the group of people that is politicizing trump being at arlington is not trump is not the republicans. It is the democrats. He has a longstanding relations kinship with these families. He has built up time at maralago and bedminster with these people, he calls them randomly and so the politization. And that's fine to do. And then it's fine in terms of having a relationship with them. But there are sacred spaces that for whatever reason we have decided that are offsites and this arlington national cemetery is one of them. I'd argue that the other one should be the capital that there are certain things that shouldn't be done in the capital. But those things have been brokered as well. But i think what is important to remember here is these are all things that could be done outside of it. And i would even point out that several of the families that were involved and engaged in this did note that they invited trump to participate in, as there's a way that they could have done that outside of the cemetery. The simpler anybody ever saying to trump's regular been there it's what he did, what he what to pivot toward. If you have a legitimate argument, of course, in your own thinking way of thinking about biden and the lot that has nothing to do with the fact that donald trump dishonored a signal britain moment in a particular gesture that he doubled down on, revealing more of a troubling character in regard to respect for the protocols and rituals that define democracy. So you may have a legitimate argument. I disagreed with it, but that's a legitimate argument to be made, but it has nothing to do with covering his hind parts about something and he did that was deeply and profoundly troubling. It should not only democrats, but to all americans centers truth, this is a fairly minor violation. It's a violation, but it's the political equivalent of a speeding ticket more than a murder. And to your point, i think the difference between when john mccain did this and donald trump this is that jane apologize. Remove the footage. And trump did what is in his nature to do as a kind classless person. And he doubled down. He's not apologizing and some of his supporters like him for that quality. Some of his supporters hold their nose and vote for him for other reasons. But at this point, everyone knows what they think about donald trump. This is who he is and this episode is not going to change anyone's, but do you want to play one quick thing from j. D. Vance, trump's running mate tonight. Also, using the military in pretty political way. Listen this is a person who wants the united states army to be about gender inclusion ridiculous diversity politics instead of about serving your country and uniting together as americans to serve on the same team and defend your nation. If you're a person thinking about joining the military, you're probably not going to want to sign up if kamala harris is the potential commander in chief that's a pretty strong thing to say. I mean, i guess it's not the first time the military has been used in that way, but there is a recruiting challenge currently under the bidenharris administration. There's just to be clear, there's been a recruiting challenge for the military than it's not linked to the biden/harris administration. Does currently exists. And i think what it exists, i just have to say it's exists for a lot of reasons. One of the reasons is because we haven't education crisis in the country and a lot of people, and we have a health crisis simply cannot meet the standards of the united states military that has nothing to do with. But i think also oh there is a narrative and i think there's something to it where you looked at the recruiting videos and it was a softer like, look you know, the military is all about diversity and then all of a sudden it changed too. Let's go win, right? let's bring everyone together, like this sort of patriotism. And i think that the patriotism, let's go win. That actually is what's, what motivates a lot of people to go potentially die for our country. And so at the risk of sounding obvious, the point is, there's not a problem with the diversity until the diversity exists, until eisenhower our signs, you know, a command, a covenant to say, let's integrate and truman, let's integrate the military. We don't have a problem until women or people of color are involved. It's terms of patriotism, some of the greatest patriots who despite the segregation to which they were arbitrary list object, gave their lives in valorous, couldn't litman to american principles. So why should it be either you are concerned about diversity in a multiple range of things, or you're a patriot, how about both? how about patriotism is a respect and appreciation for broad variety of diversity is not only racially, by the way, but geographically in terms of one's outlook and perspective as well. I think if you asked an 18yearold, that's considering joining joining the military like what's your decision based on? i don't think they're thinking about who's in the oval office. I think they're thinking about their, you know, first of all, whether we're at war, that obviously fighting iraq was a huge draw for people to go and sign up for a specific mission that they believed in or because the military is the smart decision for them and the prestige of it and the opportunities can unlock. I don't think it matters so much. Who was in the oval office right? or rather perhaps shouldn't matter so much because it's about what's the right thing for the country one point, because one person in the white house really delivered a stroke of genius against the segregation of the army the military yes. That is a very important point. Everyone stick around for us coming up next james carville says that there are three things that kamala harris must do in order to beat trump accept one of them. She may not be willing to do a special guests is going to join us in our fifth seat, plus the movie that donald trump does not want you to see is hitting theaters, right? before the election i got flare and i'm smart, so i think that's going to make any successful cnn news night. With abby phillip brought to you by chase freedom unlimited. How do you cash back you know, if you are cashback and you could earn on everything which is one car chase freedom and limited, it's all you're off the rakin or grabbed fracking. 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