and there's no catch. it's fre. we make money from ads, but they don't follow you aroud join the millions of people taking back their privacy by downloading duckduckgo on all your devices today. ♪ ♪ ♪ we are live tonight in new hampshire, where in just two days, voters will head to the polls for the first primary election of the 2024 presidential cycle. but it has been a wild 24 hours in the race for the republican nomination, after florida governor ron desantis, once the next great hope of the republican party, not too long ago, i mean, i am talking less than two years ago, the next great hope, he won by 19 points

in his own state, but he suspended his campaign for president today, and threw his support behind former president donald trump. and here is trump at a rally earlier tonight, talking about desantis ' endorsement. >> i'd like to take time to congratulate ron desantis. and of course, a really terrific person. but as you know, he left the campaign trail today at three pm, and in so doing, he was very gracious, and he endorsed me. so i appreciate it. >> gracious, we don't get that word a lot from donald trump, but he is trying to get everybody to support him. so now the race is narrow, a head to head between trump and nikki haley. haley leads trump among independents, a crucial block here in new hampshire, where there are more undecided voters than republicans or democrats. but she is 19 points behind trump overall. so, what comes next, and how close are we to another head to head presidential race between donald trump and joe biden? joining me now, nbc news correspondents dasha burns and ali vitali are hanging with me.

new york times national political correspondent shane -- is new fresh blood here, so is -- political reporter for the atlantic journal of constitution, and an msnbc contributor. and our resident floridian, former republican congressman david jolly, who is going to welcome ron desantis home with a big banner, we hear. he is back with us as well. so shaye let me start with you. because you have done a fair amount of reporting on the republican primary. we have been talking a little bit about how this happens, and what it means. but let me start with how this happened. what happened to governor desantis, the next hope for the republican party, raised $8 million in the first day, won by 19 points, the future, what happened? >> i mean the future is not the future right now that's what's really clear from this race. ron desantis, as you said, entered with big, big hopes. i was actually in this very room with him not that many months ago, when he was campaigning in new hampshire, and he was really seen as the person who could beat donald trump. and what happened is he made a series of bets about what the republican electorate wanted,

the chief one was that soft trump supporters, those people who kind of liked donald trump but weren't really sure that they wanted him again, they were going to be open to ron desantis. and today, we see that those people went strongly back in donald trump's camp, and the one group that didn't are the people who didn't want trump all along. and nikki haley is the person who took over that chunk of the electorate. and so you have her and trump battling it out at this point, and ron desantis out of the race altogether. >> the alternative, nikki haley. so greg, the new hampshire primaries obviously pretty pivotal because of nikki haley doesn't come close, made within ten points, close to that, it may be hard to argue for her to still be in the race. but let's talk a little bit about what happens after this. because there could be a long primary i had, even if she shocks everyone and winds to light >> exactly, the stakes are so high for nikki haley here in new hampshire. but going forward, february 4th, the south carolina primary. the voter block, the republican voter block in south carolina

looks an awful lot like a dozen new -- in iowa, new hampshire. and same thing in the super tuesday states. in georgia, march 12th, again, reflects south carolina, that evangelical, more conservative vote. and she can't do well here she doesn't get either an upset victory, or a close second place then it spells doom for her campaign moving forward. >> it's very tricky as the electorate changes. haley though, it's good for her to have a race, she has wanted to be a race between her and donald trump. she is kind of a fun endorser, judge judy, who you talked to today. so tell us a little bit about that. >> you know what's fascinating, i don't think that judge judy would have the same problem that every other voter i talked to has. which is that judge judy finds herself at someone who voted for michael bloomberg back in 2020 during the primary, that's the last time i interviewed her, when she just endorsed michael bloomberg. and then she said she held her nose and voted for someone in the 2020 election, and then in then if 2024 rolled around again, humid have to hold her nose nose and probably vote for biden, if you read between the lines of what she told me.

but she is someone who has the same enthusiasm problem that every other voter who have met who's voting for nikki haley now dreads having in 2024 come november. i think we have a clip, let's play it. >> she believes what she says. she's -- and she's focused, and she's razor sharp. and neither of the two people who -- this is, this is going to be a two person race. >> it is right now. >> it is right now. and i legitimately believe, and so do a whole bunch of other people, that in a horse race between donald trump and joe biden, trump is going to be president. and i think that is not a good place for america. >> what happens if in 2024, you end up in the same place that you were in 2020? what do you do? it can't be trump. >> what do you do? >> got it, thank you. >> [laughter] a look, this is a holding of

nose on television, the drama of it all. but honestly, i've met those voters. i didn't think judge judy would be one of them, but there she is, struggling with the same thing that a lot of haley voters i've met have struggled with, which is that they just do not want to end up this in 2020 reduction of biden versus trump. but if you think they will either stay home, or -- >> i guess. >> while we have been sitting here, dasha has been multitasking, just -- and she has some new reporting we haven't heard yet about what's happening behind the scenes. >> i'm sorry if the cameras have caught me furiously typing on my laptop as i was trying to get this finalized. here i've been working with my colleagues, jon allen and matt dixon and henry gomez, on a story to try to unpack what has happened behind the scenes of the desantis campaign in these final hours. because frankly, a lot of us were taken a little bit by surprise. i think we all saw the writing on the wall that the path simply wasn't there. but my goodness, this guy, following him from the last many months here, he is a fighter, he really wanted to hang, on he wanted that battle

in south carolina, where he thought that there was a stronger base of support for him than in a state like new hampshire. so him calling it today sort of suddenly, how did that happen? so what we learned from at least one close adviser is that in the hours after he came in that distant second, in iowa, he started to have conversations with some of his closest advisers. and he started to assess what is the path forward. >> so in the hours after iowa. >> and this conversation began, he wasn't there yet, but he started to ask his advisers questions, how do we do this? basically deliberating what the path forward was. and by thursday, this person put to me the information gaps were closed, they said. he had gotten all of the information he needed to get, but he decided to do one more round of going out there in talking to the voters. he still wanted to go to south carolina, he wanted to go to

new hampshire just to have that experience again. so they were all sort of waiting with bated breath to see what he would come back with. and he came back from an event from south carolina on sunday night, came back to tallahassee instead of saying in south carolina, instead of coming to new hampshire, went home, called some of his closest inner circle folks. >> this is last night? >> this was just last night. i know, i don't know what day it is anymore, we've been on set for about 24 hours. he called folks early this morning to the mansion for a final round of discussions. and then he and the first lady went upstairs, had a conversation, and came down with their final decision, they had made some notes that eventually went into the video that we all saw today, making that announcement. and there was, according to three sources familiar with the thinking, a pretty widespread agreement about the trump endorsement, for a variety of reasons. >> that he should do it as he drops out?

>> that if he was going to do this, he should make clear that he's endorsing former president. trump >> so lots -- it sounds like a lot happened over the last to four hours. he had to do is own reporting, so interesting to get around the scenes, having been on the inside of the campaign, said it is very interesting to see how that happened -- and we will also know that he canceled an appearance on meet the press. he was supposed to have a rally in new hampshire tonight, so this does explain a lot. >> i mean, he is a very deliberative person. if you know anything about him, he likes to look at data, he likes to absorb as much information as he possibly could. so i think once he started to get that feeling after iowa just did not turn out the way that he thought it would, he started to -- information source. and in the end, he came up with this decision. >> dasha, you've been reporting 24 hours, they asked has ali. so thank you for bringing us this new reporting. well david jolly, let me bring this to you. because you know ron desantis, you've been watching him for a while. does any of that, in terms of the deliberation, the fact that he wanted to go back to new

hampshire and south carolina, that he decided with his wife last night,. does any of that surprise? you or does that sound kind of in line with how he makes decisions? >> i am so close to this, i'm going to talk on a hunches, not actually reported material like dasha and john and matt. >> i like it, the frankness of that. >> here's why, i did wake up this morning and say today is the day that desantis strategists probably talked to trump strategist and we might seem dropout today or tomorrow. fundamentally, it's because he doesn't want to suffer the humiliation that the next four weeks springs. again, hottest scene in politics will be 42 points down on new hampshire, 52 points down on south carolina, 60 to nevada. he was going to suffer bra humiliation. but here is the hunch in the little bit of tell. as the campaign was not going so well about six months ago, ron desantis brought on a fairly florida republican strategists those formerly one of my strategists. when i left the party, i would

say he's a career strategist, but one of the top in the game. and desantis brought him on to see what he could do to fix this. here is the hunch. that strategist was the one in 15 and 16 when i was a sitting member running for senate, opposing donald trump, and never came around to support donald trump. we shared a ticket together. he said that, look, you've got a short leash here because not only are you going to lose this race but if you keep up this opposing donald trump you are not going to be viable two years from now. and i have to believe this strategist had that conversation with the florida governor and said not only your at risk of losing 24, you are at risk of losing 28. and you've got to calculate that in case you have plans of running again. >> well, he and casey, sounds like they may. so i think the question i, have one of the questions, many questions, is what happens now? ron desantis, he's got to repair some of the relationships in florida. maybe he runs for senate. the speculation about that. does he go out and campaign with donald trump?

does he helped him? it seems a little -- he was under duress during that video. so what are you hearing from your reporting. >> he would actually diagnosed the situation pretty clearly himself last week. he said if you are saying negative things about donald trump, donald trump's got to trash to. if you say good things about donald, up he's got to say nice things about you. and i was at trump's headquarters today when he told some of these voters, look, i'm retiring the nickname. i'm not using a nickname for ron desantis anymore. he's going to be behind, me i will say nice things about him. there is one pathway to reconcile with donald trump, and that is saying good things about him. that said, trump has been pretty clear he feels that ron desantis was disloyal by running this year, that he had helped him win election for the first time in 2018. so if that's the relationship, it's going to take a longer time to repair. but if your ron desantis, you saw the very first step is making nice with the president, the former president, potential future president. and look, if he wants to run anytime in the future, he is going to be aligned with the trump wing of the party, and he's going to need to be good with them in order to have that

support. >> so there is more making nice to be done. shane, thank you so much for stopping by. i know we will all continue to read all of your reporting over the days ahead. i really appreciate it. we have much more to get to in this hour of special coverage, just how slim is nikki haley's path to the nomination? will donald trump show up in court tomorrow? all of that is coming up, and our live coverage of manchester comes up after a quick break. after a quick break

get over here kids. time for today's lesson. wow. -whoa. what are those? these are humans. they rely on something called the internet to survive. huh, powers out. [ gasp ] are they gonna to die? worse, they are gonna get bored. [ gasp ] wait look! they figured out a way to keep the internet on. yeah! -nature finds a way. [ grunt ] stay connected when the power goes out, with storm ready wifi from xfinity. nikki haley got a rousing and see migration in theaters now.

round of applause from her supporters minutes after the news of ron desantis's exit from the race dropped. >> we just heard that ron desantis just dropped out of the race. >> [applause] >> and i want to say to ron, you ran a great race. he's been a good governor. and we wish him well. having said that, it's now one

fella and one lady left. >> [applause] >> but even with desantis out of the race, haley knows she still faces a tough path to the nomination, a very tough path, i think i'll add, even if she pulls off a win here in new hampshire. and that is a big if, because donald trump is leading haley by 19 points in the latest new hampshire tracking poll. and keep in mind, this is the state that is supposed to be the friendliest terrain to a trump alternative. the friendliest terrain for nikki haley. and she would have to pull off a big surprise in her home state of south carolina after that, which could be even better terrain for donald trump. it's hard to see how she would stay in this race with an embarrassing loss in the race -- in the states she once led. they'll be a hard argument remaking. ali vitali, dasha burns, greg bluestein, david jolly, shane goldmacher all back with the. great, let's start with. you you went to the haley event night. seems like there's a bit of pep

in her step tonight. seems like she has to get some of desantis these voters. so what did you observe at that rally and what did you hear from her campaign team with what they do with that information? >> they were looking for a new job of energy. and it does appear to be a pep in her step, i was in seabrook, new hampshire, right as we saw iran desantis step of the first race as well, huge crowd of enthusiastic supporters there. but there's that big question of whether or not ron desantis our givens for her. and there's certainly no clear answer, because desantis, not only did he endorse donald trump, but also he's more aligned with donald trump wing of the party. these mainstream more middle of the road conservatives, independents, and even democrats that are backing nikki haley could also be a double edged sword for her. of course, we also heard don trump say she's being backed by democrats and other liberals. she's a fake republican. and that can be used against her a few weeks down the road in south carolina. >> let me just go to what could happen on tuesday. because donald trump's 19 points ahead. crazy things happen in new

hampshire, believe me, i worked for barack obama, crazy things happen. but if she loses to donald trump, or let's say she loses by more than 15 points, what does that look like? what are the discussions like within the haley campaign right now? >> so let's pay the david jolly game of conscious and. tells because a month and a half ago, yet chris new, the popular governor of this, state who said no doubt haley is going to win by a landslide was the word to use. now you go back to a week and a half ago and he said she's going to do really well. here i asked nikki haley, what's the best-case scenario? obviously that you win in new hampshire. but i said what does that look like going past here? and she says my goal is to do well in iowa, you better in new hampshire, and you better than that in south carolina. that's fine, but better is not first, as we talked about earlier today. and i don't know how you get the nomination without winning a state. frankly, i'm having a little bit of reductions to 2020, when i would ask elizabeth warren, a, what happens if you lose your

home state because they're such sensitivity around that and i sense that with these haley sources all the time. but also, how do you stay in on just a delegate strategy alone? i've had these conversations with -- >> some are winner-take-all. >> and trump has been talking that. way >> and i don't have a hunches and tells here, but i do have some reporting from a trip i went to on south carolina with my colleagues -- >> we love reporting, too. we like both. >> hunches and tells, we'd like them. all but we drove around the state and we talk to voters and all the different areas of south carolina. and i have to tell you, it is trump country. nikki haley's home turf is trump country. since she left the office of the governor there, it's become writer, more conservative, and trump has brought out so many more voters that weren't even engage when nikki haley was in office. so as soon as i spent time there, i was like, my goodness, she is going to have a very hard time. looking ahead to south carolina, it's the luck of the draw of

the primary calendar. if it was super tuesday or super tuesday two on march 19th, but the fact that it is so soon and next on the docket here, it's her home state, and the numbers there are just -- that's not her base. >> not at all, it's more like the iowa electorate more than it is like the new hampshire electorate. so david jolly, let's all play this out a little bit further, too. because everyone says they're not endorsing until they indoors, see ron desantis. nikki haley, let's say she doesn't do well in new hampshire, or let's say she makes it farther. at some point, do you think she endorses donald trump or does she withhold that? >> i would think she does. look, here's the interesting thing, the numbers just aren't there for her. and i think as ali alluded to, do you go to your home state of south carolina and really lose that badly? most politicians don't do that. but marco rubio did in florida in the 2016 election against donald trump. jeb bush decided to bow out, he did not want to lose florida.

marco rubio said i will take the licking. and i don't think rubio won a single county that night, and he ended up dropping out after. remarkably, it was nikki haley who was his chief delegate on the trail taking the shots at donald trump when it was rubio's last stand in florida and other states. so maybe nikki haley does have the metal to stay in. but this, notion the earlier conversation about sexism and racism and xenophobic, i'll be the first one to tell, you that is a currency among some republicans in the party. and i think nikki ailey is a victim of. that there's no question. but whether you are male, female, or otherwise, i am not buying nikki haley's stick that somehow shoes a strong candidate. because she equivocate on holding donald trump accountable for january 6th, for the georgia election mishandling, she equivocate on questions of roe and dobbs. she equivocate on e. jean carroll. she has not shown jackson has the metal to push through whatever this resistance to

trump's. so i think the no labels group might try to send her an olive branch. i suspect she will shut it down, fall right in line with donald trump and republicans, simply because she is a conformist who never really challenges republicans when it matters. >>, ali you are just jonesing to say something there. and i feel like you may have some hunches or reporting on haley. >> i think i have both, because i hear what you're saying, david jolly. and it makes sense that haley would fall in line because she's a political animal with a finally turned political barometer. but how do you go from being the person who represented america small d democracy at the united nations and then endorsed a man who keeps saying there is a selling point to being a strongman and he will be a dictator, if only for one day. >> that's a good point to be made. on that note, ali vitali, dasha burns, shane goldmacher, david jolly, think you so much for hanging with me. greg, stay right where you are, for now, because coming up on the eve of the new hampshire primary, donald trump might not

be in new hampshire, he could be in a courtroom in new york. john heilemann and lisa rubin join the conversation after a quick break. quick break.

this election is a choice between results or just rhetoric. californians deserve a senator who is going to deliver for them every day and not just talk a good game. adam schiff. he held a dangerous president accountable. he also helped lower drug costs, bring good jobs back home, and build affordable housing. now he's running for the senate. our economy, our democracy, our planet. this is why we fight. during my time in politics, i'm adam schiff, and i approve this message.

i did work on three presidential campaigns. and normally, the day before the new hampshire primary is full of final campaign events, a lot of holding babies and shaking hands on replied. visits to diners, a lot of which are in new hampshire. but of course, these are not normal times we're living through, i think we all know that. tomorrow, the second transforming from e. jean carroll's defamation lawsuit against all trump continues in new york and trump has claimed he wants to attend and testify. remember, trump has already been found liable for defaming and sexually assaulting e. jean carroll, this trial is just about how much he has to pay her. and he just can't stop talking about her, he's kind of obsessed with it. at a rally earlier tonight, he once again called her story totally fabricated. joining our conversation now, national affairs analyst for

nbc news, john heilemann, an msnbc legal analyst lisa rubin. lisa, let me start with the, you are covering this trial last, week we don't have confirmation yet whether trump will go tomorrow. but if he goes, what do you expect? what are you watching for? and what should he expect? >> one of the things i'm watching for, jen, is what a deposition testimony from prior depositions trump has given get introduced as evidence. normally speaking, you don't get to play video clips from prior depositions whenever you feel like it. one exception to that though is when the person who's deposition clips your playing is themselves a party in the case, that's called a party and mission. and you will remember, donald trump has given lots of depositions recently. in fact, last friday, we all got the video of his deposition in the attorney general's case. in that deposition, donald trump makes a bunch of really damning statements, although he considers them grave statements, about how much he's worth, how much his brand is worth, how

much cash he has on hand. those are all not only fair game, but highly relevant here to the question of punitive damages. how much money will it take to punish donald trump? and that's a question you answer differently if somebody has $10 in a bank account, for example, versus hundreds of millions of dollars in their bank account. so even before donald trump has the opportunity to open his own mouth, he might be in the very uncomfortable position of watching himself on tape in court hearing himself to speak, you know he's silent. >> it's quite uncountable. i don't know if he will be uncomfortable. i guess we will have to see. so you obviously legal, lisa, not political analyst. but you do watch all of. this but we've seen what he's done in the courtroom. we would expect fully for him to do that tomorrow again if he shows up. how do judges way that and look at that? i mean, we are quite close to him officially becoming the nominee of the republican party. >> jen, the decision here

belongs to a nine person jury of seven men and two women, not the judge. on the other hand, the judges the gatekeeper of his courtroom. he not only decides what evidence comes in, but what behavior is tolerable. and when donald trump was seen in his courtroom last week, both moving very visibly that's not true to things e. jean carroll, for example had said, or even audibly making statements like that, he called her a disgrace, for example, in court, judge kaplan made clear that behavior is not tolerable. that while trump has a right to attend the trial, he does not have a right to be disruptive. and i think trump is actually wanting that conversation with lou kaplan, who understands the psychology of donald trump very well. one of the ways kaplan is keeping him in line is by not promising any particular punishment, but by just making clear that at some point, the hammer may fall on donald trump. the fact that trump does not know how that hammer may fall, weather is going to be cash

damages, or a fine, or even contempt of court, is what's keeping him on the right side of the line. we will see if he stays there tomorrow. >> are right, lots to watch. john heilemann, let's talk for a second about the overlapping legal calendar, political calendar, it's starting to feel quite close to a general election here. what does that look like. will trump's strategy change at all in the courtroom? >> well, god knows. let's just -- realm of pure speculation here. >> yeah, i'm asking you to speculate. here >> an invitation to speculate? never had one of those before. there is enough we can't predict about donald trump, which is the kinds of behavior of -- the confrontational tactics, the flamboyant texts, the operatic attacks, the going out of the bounds of what would be considered normal comportment, anyone in a legal case before, let alone a former president, have in his mind, and in some senses, in reality, work for

him? he's gotten just tons of feedback over the course of the last year that we've potted it all out of these polling grass, every time -- he gets indicted. every time he has a courtroom controversy, it's strength and will be electorate he has right now. this is the thing, jen, that people often forget when they analyzed politics, that you know really well. there are two elections. you have to win the nominee election, and then you go on to the general election. >> and the electorate is different. >> and electorate is different. and it's not that the stuff you say in the nomination fight can't come back to haunt you in the general election, but if you don't get nominated, you never get to fight the general elections. whether it's a democrat, barack obama, hillary clinton, joe biden, or anybody who's ever run on the republican side, they're focused on that first phase with what do i need to do to get that nomination. and for trump, what has worked for him in terms of strengthening him, making him imperil unassailable as the republican dominant is behaving in this outrageous, outlandish,

ridiculous way in the court of law. what that will do in a general election when we move to that phase when people start to focus, when we get to the summer, there will have been a number of these cases, whether in georgia or washington, 20 different place at that point. i have no idea what's going to happen then. but i know until this nomination is locked in for donald trump, he is going to keep behaving like this, because it is in this narrow sense working for him. >> so let's talk about the voters. two john heilemann's point here, it's different. to win back the presidency, you have to when the electorate in a general election. very different from a republican primary. you obviously talked to tons of voters in georgia, but also here in new hampshire, other places in the country. what do they say? we are obsessively follow all these legal cases. most of them are probably not. how do they weigh what trump is saying in the courtroom or not? how does it impact this handful of swing voters that both of these candidates are going to need? >> we used to say there was a blurred line between trump campaign, his legal strategy. now there's no line at all. >> right. >> and republicans in georgia

will say the turning point for donald trump, might've been august 8th when he was arrested, when he took that famous mugshot and fulton county, inside the fulton county jail. but when i talk to voters, the small number of swing voters in places like georgia, they're still really split, they still really were. but poll after poll after poll, including the atlanta journal-constitution's latest poll, shows that the significant majority of republicans feel like these prosecutions were politicized and are using it as a rallying cry to unite behind donald trump. >> it will be a tough thing to watch. but maybe a phase will watch on the broader spectrum. greg, thank you for hanging with us tonight, joining us tonight. lisa rubin, love really, i will be watching you tomorrow and see what you have to say about the trial you'll be covering. john is sticking around with us. coming up, one issue looming large in new hampshire they might not expect. we'll be right back. 'll be right back.

♪ ♪ ♪ there is one issue on the mind of voters in iowa a new hampshire that might surprise you. more than a third of iowa caucus gores last weekend said immigration was the most important issue to them. again, that's iowa, which by the way, is over 1000 miles away from the u.s. mexico border. and here's what voters in new hampshire told nbc's shaq brewster this week. >> why donald trump? >> donald trump because i want a closed border. i want to feel safe again. and i want to enforce law and order of the land. >> the illegals have just, you know, invaded our country. and his government has given them housing and free cell phones and everything else, free food. it's not fair to us.

>> a major thing with me is hot water. we have lost over 2 million since may in this country. how long is that going to take before it ruins the entire country? >> so that's what voters in new hampshire are saying. and it's worth pointing out that right now, donald trump is trying to tank a bipartisan voter package that's being worked on in congress. john heilemann is back with me, and joining the conversation is nbc news correspondent shaq brewster, who did those interviews. so let's start with, you because you've been talking to voters all across new hampshire. that was just a sampling of it. how often is this issue coming up? and did it surprise you how frequently it came up as an issue? >> oh no, talking to republican voters, that is the top issue that comes up. when you ask what's most important to them, what's most animating to them, that's the issue that comes up. it's not just new hampshire, what i'm doing reporting in wisconsin, when talking to voters in michigan, despite the distance from the border, that is the topic that comes up. and it's not just an economic

argument, as you heard one of the gentlemen make in that video. in new hampshire, there is something a little bit more unique. and it's connected to the drug issue. new hampshire is one of the states that has been hit hardest by the opioid epidemic. so when people are looking at -- >> people mentioned fentanyl a. what >> exactly, and when they see their neighbors addicted to drugs or the nobody who died of a fentanyl overdose, they see the images of the, border they combine that with the rhetoric we're hearing from political leaders. and that issue that seems so far away, for them it becomes very personal andreanna meeting for them. >> even the majority of fentanyl comes to illegal crossings, i should mention. >> and china. >> not all this is completely rational. so john heilemann, let me ask you this. there is of course a border deal being negotiated on capitol hill. i'm number of prominent republicans, conservatives, support this deal. donald trump does not want the deal to. happen he's given his guidance to mike johnson, who is like, yes sir, the deal will not happen, that's basically my summary. so basically trump doesn't want

this to happen because he wants to run of the border, fair to say? >> yes. >> yes, correct. >> [laughter] >> what else do you think this is telling us about how he's going to run a general election. it's fearmongering, it's fear of the other, do you think this is a continuing issue he tries to run on from october to november? >> look, the immigration issue and the silence-y of that, it's hard to overstate how important it was in 2016, when people actually went back and look at the numbers to him actually beating hillary clinton. it's an issue that's worked for, him that he cares about. it has all these various compliments that have to do with fear about cultural change that's going on in america, obviously there's a race traded issue. but there's a lot of democrats the reason this issue cuts, the images shaq is talk about, this is a nationalized race. we live in a world where people new hampshire watch the same stuff on television and see the same stuff on the internet that people see in wisconsin. or if you haven't been, texas where you see it in a much more

of close way, for california. and democrats are now tacitly, explicitly acknowledging there's a border crisis and the administration is blamed for it. and it's urgency in trying to get this done's and admission that when it is a politically damaging issue. and substantively that there is a problem at the border. that's essentially what the biden administration and democrats are acknowledging. and i agree, there's no doubt trump is trying to play politics with it. he wants the issue to run on. but it's not wholly made up in the minds of voters. there is an issue -- we're not doing a good job as we should be doing. >> this is an important point, because if you're sitting in the biden campaign right, now or the biden white house, you desperately want this deal to happen for basically a version of why the trump team wants it to happen. >> four dozen wanted to happen. >> doesn't want it to happen, because you know politically, they know politically this is a problem. this is a problem for them, they need to figure out a way to do something on. let me ask, because you've been out there talking two tons of voters, what are they, saying

since we're getting a little closer to a general election here, about a trump biden rematch? >> yesterday, i spent the day in -- at a place called fun spot. people were just trying to have their fun. >> fun spot? >> our kate, bowling, people were -- >> who knew there was a fun spot in -- in new hampshire? if i knew about that, i would've gone. >> he has plans for tomorrow. now >> people were trying to enjoy their saturday afternoon, saturday morning with their kids, families, out there. and i would go out and talk to voters. and whenever i mention what do you think when you see poll suggesting that it was going to be a biden donald trump rematch, their faces were turned into smiles? you'd hear words like disgusting, i'm upset. there was one lady, and one thing that you see is that the vast majority of people i talked to said they don't plan to go out and vote. it's not just being undecided, it's not just choosing a candidate, but it's i don't want to participate in this process because i'm so angry about my options here. and there's one lady who talk to me about how much she despised donald trump. she went on for about two minutes talking about classified documents, some of his policies, seeing if working

people did what he did he would be in jail. and i asked what i thought was an obvious question of, we'll, if it's donald trump and joe biden who do you support? she said donald trump. and she said i can't support joe biden because i think he's too old. and that means very funky things can happen in a general election. >> and here's what i will say about this. on pulling like this, you see people, 75% of the country, 70% of the country does not want this race. >> nikki haley says that a lot. >> she does, and there's a lot of data that suggests it's true. it's very long between now and how people feel about this once the general election is litigated. but i will say, no one at this table has not had the experience in the last six months of someone coming, people coming up to them, people who are liberal, conservative, people in the middle, who come up and say something to the effect of is this really the best we can do? is this really -- i really have to choose? there is this pervasive malaysia about it across the ideological spectrum.

and that creates a really weird environment, when normally we have polarization, democrats love democrats, republicans love republicans, the candidates. we now just have a lot of people a country that are like, i don't want it. >> we have to get to a quick break. you both are going to come back, i think, in the next couple of days when we are here. thank you so much for joining me this evening, really appreciate it. coming up, someone who knows new hampshire politics better than most, congresswomen any custer is standing by. and she joins me next. we'll be right back. we'll be right back.

the big story new hampshire this week will of course be the now two person race between donald trump and nikki haley for the republican emanation. on the democratic, side joe biden is not even on the ballot. according to the dnc, the president is prohibited from his own party rules from competing on tuesday because of the move in the primary calendar. and what the party is calling a meaningless primary, the new hampshire, what the one in the state were sitting in currently. so voters will instead have to write in his name. that's not always easy to. do join me now is democratic congresswoman annie kuster of new hampshire. congresswoman, thank you so much for staying up with us this evening. let me just start about this writing campaign. i know everyone's working hard on it we had congressman ro khanna on earlier. what is excess look like for the biden team on tuesday? >> while, we want to win. and i think that's the first school. we want to make sure that democratic voters and

independent undeclared voters that choose the democratic ballot know that joe biden is not on the ballot and how easy it is to just drop to the bottom of the ballot, fill in his name, luckily it's easy to spell, joe biden, fill in the little oval to make sure your vote gets counted. we just want to make sure that everyone gets the word we're supporting joe biden for his second term. we are very enthusiastic about. it great events all weekend long. and i'm really looking forward to a decisive win. >> a 50 plus one when, sounds like what you're saying, your colleague said something similar. there's also the matter that your other colleague, democratic congressman dean phillips, he's of course challenging biden in new hampshire, on the ballot. he's greeting trump supporters earlier this evening ahead of his rally in rochester. it's a little strange. but he also said he was treated better there than he has by the state party of new hampshire.

what is that all about? he has positions that are certainly aligned with, i think, many of yours, with the president's. what is that all about, why would he have been at a trump rally? why is he so concerned there? >> i can't even imagine. i know dean well. we talked about it when he decided to run. i told them i thought it was ill advised. and frankly i think it's been a pretty unimpressive campaign. i have been here in new hampshire on political campaigns for president for almost 50 years, when i was 16 years old was the first one. and he's been using some very unorthodox techniques. frankly, i think just to get in the news. i don't think he has caught on with the voters. and i don't think he has taken the time and had the positions. what new hampshire voters are looking for, what are your values, what's your vision of where the country is going and how you are going to make a difference? and i really have not heard that articulated with his

campaign. >> i know congresswoman you are a proud democrat. but there is a big republican primary happening here. ron desantis obviously dropped out earlier this afternoon, which means it's a two-person race. you know the electorate quite well. hear what are you expecting on the other side of the aisle on tuesday? >> well, it's interesting. i've been reading the pundits tonight expecting the desantis votes to go to donald trump. i disagree with that assessment. we will find out on tuesday. but the desantis votes could've gone to donald trump at any point in time. desantis has not made a serious effort here in new hampshire, has not caught on with the voters. i think they could sort of see-through him a bit, if you will. so i expect those are never trump voters. and i would expect they would gravitate to nikki haley as she comes on strong in the final days. she's got a surge going on right now, obviously our

governor, chris sununu, very popular governor. i think he pulls in the 80s at this point after eight years. coming on for her and really making the case donald trump is a threat to our country, he's unfit to be president. and i hope both sides of the ballot, both the democrat right in biden effort, and the nikki haley effort will send a strong message to the rest of the country he cannot have another term. >> we have about a minute left here, congresswoman. but i do want to ask you, do you hope that this is all clued up on tuesday so the biden campaign can kind of four with the general election and really make it's clear it's between biden and trump? >> i do. and i think it will be, certainly on our side. i hope nikki haley gives donald trump a run for the money. but look, here is where we are, this is such an important election.

i'm wearing my planned parenthood pink, because we're celebrating what would have been the 51st anniversary of roe this week. and i know here in new hampshire, people care so much about their autonomy, their reproductive rights. we care about building our economy that president biden has been doing all across this country, bringing down costs, saving the planet, and using his leadership around the globe in fighting for democracy if ukraine, taking care of the israel and gaza situation, and fighting for democracy right here at home. so i hope people will get out to vote, make the choice, and i'm looking forward to a six of onto's day. >> congresswoman annie kuster, lots to talk about, lots to celebrate this week, i wish we were celebrating the 50th anniversary of roe. >> i wish we were. >> i wish we were celebrating women's fire in their bellies.

thank you so much for joining us this evening. that does it for me tonight. i will be right back here at the desk here in manchester tomorrow night, at 80 am eastern. but for now, stay right where you are, because as more news coming up on msnbc. coming up on msnbc

this election is a choice between results or just rhetoric. californians deserve a senator who is going to deliver for them every day and not just talk a good game. adam schiff. he held a dangerous president accountable.

he also helped lower drug costs, bring good jobs back home, and build affordable housing. now he's running for the senate. our economy, our democracy, our planet. this is why we fight. good evening from i'm adam schiff, and i approve this message. manchester, new hampshire, on what could only be