With his family as well. And that is tonight's reid out. Inside with jen psaki starts now. Reporter: okay, there's a lot going on but i want to start tonight with a dumpster fire that's the only way to call it that is still raging in north carolina. Because it's actually about more than one crazy guy. And believe me he is definitely crazy. If you've read any of the things he's said. It's also about more than one important swing state. Believe me, north carolina is very important. But this really is a story about the corner of the republican party has backed itself into. As i'm sure you've all heard from now and probably wish you could unhear, unsee if you've been paying attention. Mark robinson the republican nominee for governor in north carolina posted a lot of stuff on a porn site. He expressed support for reinstating slavery and called mlk an fing nami. His words not mine. Ever since then robinson has repeatedly denies making those comments. What we heard from him today was just about as trumpy as you can get. We're in talking right now. Everything up to legal council to take cnn to task for what they have done to us. We are going after them. Okay. We are going to go after them for what they've done. Reporter: threatening to sue a media organization for reporting on something you actually did. I wonder who he learned that trick from. So that's mark robinson's response. Now when it comes to the rest of the republican party. Not all of them but many republican leaders, we are seeing some flashes of what you would expect to see in the wake of a scandal like this. I mean, four of robinson's top staffers have resigned. They're cutting his spending, our current media buy expires tomorrow and no further placements have been made. That's all they said. So yeah, robinson is losing staff and he's not getting any more money from the republican's association. None of that is good. He was already losing before this. But as the staff abandons him and the money is drying up no one is speaking forcibly as to why those things are happening even though it's quite obvious as those things are p happening. There's no denouncement of the selfproclaimed selfnazi comments and there's been no denouncement from far too many leaders of the republican party. Donald trump has absolutely zero percent control. And he defends the indefensible every time he could get. That guy did not mention robinson not once in north carolina, of all places. Jd vance did manage to say something about this while really saying nothing at all. Do you believe him that those were not his posts. I don't not believe him, i don't believe him. I think you have to let these things play out. J. D. Vance took another crack at it today in north carolina. What he said or didn't say is also between him and the people of north carolina. The people of north carolina are tkpwroeupbg going to make that decision. Listen i've heard some of the statements, some of them are pretty gross. Robinson said those statements are false, that he didn't really speak them. I think it's up to robinson that he needs to speak to the people of north carolina. It's between the lieutenant general. And then it continued with mike johnson. When asked if he supporting robinson a man who never misses a moment to talk about his faith and hoey important it is to him. A man who has spoken repeatedly out about anti semitism said this. I'm not involved in the north carolina governor's race i have enough on my hands. And senator tom cotton reiterated that nonanswer answer just yesterday. Do you think trump should still support mark robinson in north carolina. I will leave that up to former president trump and the people of north carolina. Really, the guy applauds on a porn site and that's all you can do. Senator graham outdid governor cotton. I think what is going to happen. He deserves a chance to defend himself. Mark robinson. The things they are saying are beyond horrible. And if they are true he does not deserve the seat. If they're not, he has a huge lawsuit on his hands. None have said, this is wrong, there's no place for bigotry, anti semitism, sexism, or any flirtation with naziism with anyone in our party. None of them have said that. Because they can't say that because if they say that about mark robinson then they have to say that about donald trump and j. D. Vance. If they speak against the racism that mark robinson has expressed then they have to speak out against trump and vance. We had to bring out the big table. Simone sanderstownsend host of the weekend right here on msnbc. Okay. A lot happening. I just gave my take on the mark robinson news. Mark, you never hold back. What does all of that tell you right now about the state of the republican party. Here's the thing. Donald trump has introduced an ethic to hear. You deny, you attack the media, you claim it's all made up. And then you never apologize. You never show any kind of courage. You never step back and do the decent thing. The problem there is the con contagion. You have people who have to go on tv and sound like idiots. Like a thinking person. I think that's a fair statement of what we just saw. It's not just this case. It's everything like j. D vance having to say we made up these stories but it's okay because it's freedom of speech. Whatever it is. Thinking people can actually make determinations about this and concludes these are not people really fit to serve and these are not answers that are acceptable to me. That's what i think this is. It's more than what's happening in north carolina. It's a contagion. So there are similarities. Hershel walker. There's similarities for different reasons. Trump is at the top of the ticket. He's never silent about anything. Does this feel similar or different to you? i think some of the anxiety that you put your finger on here in the accomplishment where they don't seem to know what there is about this. Stems from the fact that throughout the party leaders do not know where the line is anymore. For what they're base will tolerate and what they won't. Part of this is the decentizing that donald trump has had. Part of it is go back to when donald trump came on the scene, that party was already on the. For the last 9 or 10 years basically at this point, they've been following donald trump's lead. And, donald trump is not giving a clear indication about what to do with mark robinson. So republican leaders don't know what to do about mark robinson and that's where you get all the confusion that you just showed from j. D. Vance all the way on down to local leaders in north carolina. It doesn't, gretchen it doesn't feel confusing. There's disagreements in the party. This never happened before trump. Trump is the inigma here. For these crazy candidates do they win or do they lose. Like most of the time like walker they have lost. Trump is teflon. He has had no repercussion for the things he's said. Robinson will likely lose in north carolina. North carolina is an incredibly important state to kamala harris and to don donald trump. My concern is trump is at the top of the ballot with kamala harris and north carolina also has a history of a split ticket. They voted for trump last time but they voted in a democratic governor, right. So they have that history, so robinson can lose. I'm not sure that that means that people don't still vote for trump in north carolina. That is such, the split ticket. It has not been one on the federal level since 2008. Since barack obama won in north carolina. North carolina is a hard state. Simone and i have spend a lot of time in campaign buses. Way too many hours. Way too many hours on campaign buses. Trump has been there. He has traveled there. Harris would love to win north carolina. I think democrats would breathe a sigh of relief. What's the state of things there and what, for people you're talking to in the state to gretchen's point. How much is this if at all impacting the top of the ticket. Can i say something about what mckay and mark noted. Yeah. I think there's the political analysis of this. Then there's theoretical conversation. You know in the weeks and months after the assassination of dr. King. I should talk about that versus the lieutenant governor of north carolina. A few weeks after his assassination, a poll said the majority of people thought dr. King brought the assassination against himself. They thought he was a terrorist. That he had pushed by it while he was alive. Why do i bring this up? because for the republican party apparatus, and the elected officials. They are concerned about where their voters are. The public opinion of their voters. But, the public opinion of voters isn't always right. And so, one could argue that if people just had the courage. Within the republican party apparatus to buck what the public opinion is of a lot of trump voters which is not the majority of the republican party apparatus. Perhaps things would look different. But time after time example after example when it has mattered. People have not chosen to go against donald trump, they tuck their tail between their legs. The j. D. Vances in the world will still in fact, be elected. You had a whole piece in the atlantic. I think when it comes to north carolina, robinson is a sitting senator. Things that were frankly known about him which is why people i talked to. He had already said some of those crazy things. People who are on the ground say his crazy is baked in. These people voted for him any way the last time as lieutenant governor. So i don't know what effect, i think the effect of the campaign staff leaving, that to me, real republicans who wanted to work for a potential republican governor. A trump endorsed republican. That could make a difference to some republican voters. But let's just be very clear. They didn't leave because of the anti semitism. They left because of the porn site. And a man who is, disparaging transkids and transpeople in his comments but apparently likes to indulge in the watching of it in his private time, hypocrite. I think what would move the needle is if they had an abortion bill. I actually think there could be a reverse coat tails effect. It's very rare and i understand why people are skeptical that it will happen. Usually the top of the ticket is the one who has the trickle down effect on the rest of the ticket. Mark robinson is a much more weaker candidate than a typical republican on the ballot. Split ticket happens in north carolina. But the things that he has said rl going to, are already widely known yes in the state. But he's unpopular. He's not polling well. He's almost certainly going to lose. And i think that that could have a real effect. Those republicans aren't necessarily going to go vote for kamala harris. They're just not going to show up because they don't have a guy. There's also the legislature is controlled by the public in north carolina. To your point that's an area that could hugely impact abortion rights. You haven't weighed in here on what you think. Is there an impact on the top of the ticket. He was going to lose any way. I'm going to go out on a limb and say he's going to lose now. If i'm wrong, they could show this clip and have a big party. Just play it over and over. No he's not going to win. So he was not a great candidate to begin with. As mckay said yeah no this could depress turn out. Look i do think that as i said before, i mean, the kind of circus act you see around trying to have republican politicians explain this away is a terrible look. I mean you don't have to be, you know that bright to sort of see what's going on here. And yeah, of course it's going to be depressed. You would hope it would be. Certainly trump has his supporters. I agree with gretchen, an abortion thing on the ballot would be more definitive. Keep your thought. We're coming back. We have congressman raskin later. But first kamala harris tries to talk donald trump into a second debate. I'm back with the full panel in 60 seconds. That make you say, woah. And their hair looks like this. Or someone says, the doors come off. Then you just know what it was. What it is. And what it always will be. Because when you're an original, there's only one. Thursday night football on prime. It's on. Ready to have some fun? yeah, let's do it. The dallas cowboys take on the new york giants, as thursday night football is on. Stream thursday night football. Only on prime. Meet the jennifers. Each planning their future through the chase mobile app. Hellooo new apartment. One bank for now. For later. For life. Chase. Make more of what's yours. C1 in pennsylvania, where donald trump is holding rally tonight. I just mentioned this earlier. He was greeted with these billboards depicting him in a chicken suit. I'm sure he did not love those. The text reads quote there's no debate, donald trump's a chicken. Over the weekend, kamala harris says this all stems from this. She announced she would accept an invitation to debate trump again. Of course she would because she did great in the first one. And trump said it was too late to hold another debate since early voting has already begun. Has already begun in many places now. Never mind also the fact that trump debated president biden on october 22nd in 2020 and also in 2016. Which was also early voting was happening. And we had to give you all those details too. The whole group is back with me. And i want to hear from all of you. Historically there are three debates and they're usually happening in the fall. We all know this because you've all covered this. And you've all lived through it. It's dominant in fall which is a weird thing. You know vice president harris the best of all of us i think it's safe to say. My take is she did great in the first debate. She needs to make more moments. So i think this stems from trump complimented the cnn debate. Trump has said he is not going to debate and ends on the debate stage. He doesn't like being called a chicken, he doesn't like coverage that says he's weak and scared. What is your actual excuse. Perhaps you don't want to do it. In that case, his ego jumps in and he ends up on a debate stage. Now if i were advising the trump people which is a statement i never thought i would say. I would be of the there's no way in heck you're getting back on a debate stage with that lady. She ate your lunch and breakfast and i'm not even going to make dinner. She's not going to make dinner. Here's the question i have. The race is very close to state the obvious. They both need moments. I know she destroyed him on the debate stage. What do republicans think. If you're surveying republicans on the hill they would probably rather he not debate again. Here would be the case for him debating. The expectations are going to be incredibly low for him, right. He had a really bad debate, vice president harris did much better than him. Everybody saw that. The majority of viewers people who watch the debate said that in polls afterward. Because he will have a much lower bar, the case for him doing it would be show up and clear it and people might say, actually it's not as bad as i would remember. I would also say, vice president harris her reason for debating again is he did so much better than him last time. I think she could use more opportunities to introduce herself to the american public. That last debate reinvolved mostly around her case with donald trump. She prosecuted it well. Going into that de