it's really hard to get people to just look at your record and to be defending and bragging about your record. you have to look forward. >> you have to look forward. but again, one moment could end up making or breaking a debate, too. it could all matter or not matter at all. >> well, thanks very much, mark, as always. that does it for this edition of "andrea mitchell reports." and tonight, rachel maddow leading the coverage. watch tonight beginning at 7:00 eastern. 9:00 eastern, you can watch the debate right here. stay tuned for analysis and coverage all night long. and follow us on social media. you can rewatch the best parts of our show any time on youtube. go to msnbc.com/andrea. chris jansing starts right now. welcome to the center of the political universe.

i'm chris jansing live in atlanta. for a presidential debate like no other, two men burdened by age and animosity trying to win over millions of americans fed up with politicians and politics in general, and joe biden and donald trump in particular. so today, in our special coverage, we'll dive into whether 90 minutes in june can change the next four years for this country. plus, with tens of millions of americans tuning in, could a single death be a game changer? and finally, what is the biggest x-factor isn't a person but a muted microphone? the new rules designed to minimize the chaos that could determine who comes out on top. a lot to get to. we start with the two men. two very different candidates who really don't like or respect each other, clashing in what will be an epic presidential debate. joe biden and donald trump coming face to face for the

first time in four years and facing a nation that doesn't like either of them much either. their monumental task, to convince skeptical, even angry voters that they are the one to change the trajectory of the nation. we're expecting president biden to arrive in the next hour or so, coming straight from camp david where he's been prepping for the last week. former president trump is expected to get here later in the day. he said he'll rely on his experience in the campaign trail to get him through the debate. although the biden campaign believes he's been preparing more than he lets on. i want to bring in vaughn hilliard and gabe gutierrez. the former chief spokesperson for vice president harris and co-host of the weekend here on msnbc. with me onset, tim miller, host of the bulwark podcast and former communications director for gelabale bush 2016, and jonathan, politico white house bureau chief and host of msnbc's

"way too early." both are msnbc political analysts. what a great lineup. i'll start with donald trump. what's the latest on him and his strategy going into tonight? >> these two men are in different places than we were four years ago. at that time in the 2020 debates, it was joe biden who was able to use four years of the trump administration in his record to jump off of. this go-around, it is the opposite. it is donald trump who has been out of office, who will attempt to look at the biden administration's record. he is going to make the case that if he had been in the white house during these four years, that there would have been no invasion of ukraine. that hamas would have not attacked israel. the difficult part for president biden is that a lot of these statements that donald trump tends to make are not disprovable statements. it is difficult to go and push back against those assertions. yet, donald trump, you should also expect to hit on the

economy. and for the millions of americans that will be tuning in tonight, there is an undisputed fact that prices around the country have increased over the last years. there is also a housing and rental cost crisis in this country as well. this is a moment here for donald trump to try to use the last four years and try to harken back the american public's minds of where they were perhaps before the covid pandemic. and for donald trump, of course, the last four years, he has been muddied with four criminal indictments, a trial that led to 34 felony convictions, and also, the reality that he was found to have sexually aabused e. jean carroll and he is liable for repeated financial fraud through the trump organization and fined $350 million. for donald trump, his focus will consistently be on trying to contrast what a trump administration would look like versus a second biden administration. >> so gabe, we're getting a preview of what the president is expected to focus on because

he's put out new videos from his campaign. what can you tell us about those? >> look, the biden campaign has been saying now for several months that it wants to show off his contrast between former president trump and president biden. and president biden has been prepping for this over the last week or so at camp david, as you mentioned, holding these mock debates. as you said, the biden campaign this morning releasing a couple new videos. it shows the robust rapid response organization that they're really trying to highlight here, they want to fact check donald trump in real-time. just this morning, when that supreme court ruling came down, they put out a video talking about reproductive rights. one of the things they really want to hit on over and over again in tonight's debate. another video they released, one that they're calling unfit. and they're highlighting videos from former aides to former president trump talking about

how dangerous a second trump administration would be. let's take a listen. >> dangerous. >> threat to democracy. >> cannot in good conscience endorse donald trump. >> take an oath to a dictator. we don't take an oath to a want a be dictator. >> this man is unfit to be president. a second term would be more dangerous than the first. >> and you hear those aides calling former president trump a dictator. we expect president biden to cast former president trump as a convicted felon. something he's been saying more and more often on the campaign trail. and also, the biden campaign trying to drum up interest across the country, seeing this as a game changer in this race, where more people are tuning in. they're touting that they have watch parties scheduled in every state to take the president's

message to the voters that might be skeptical. especially in some of the battleground states. >> thank you. much appreciated. okay. back here to where there's no spin. politico put it this way. the highest stakes hate watch of any modern presidential campaign, if folks texting me is any indication, there is some truth to that. what will it take to break through to the haters, the undecideds, the disgusteds. >> polls show americans are not very happy with the choice. that's why the biden campaign's thinking was to have a debate. like it or not, this is your choice. it is a versus b. the president's job to say, look, i remind you of what four years of what donald trump was about. and another four years would be that much worse.

yes. they'll be watching. there are certainly some democrats who have fallen in love with joe biden. he'll try to win them back. there's a thin sliver of undecideds. they have not formed impressions, as hard as it is to believe, and that points to the challenge. this race is so static. trump with consistent but narrow leads in most battleground leads with a little momentum for biden of late. for the biden team, it is to reach into americans' living rooms and say this is what is at stake here. they're trying to say high stakes for the future of the country. >> not only do the voters not like either of these guys for the most part. they really don't like each other. if you go back four years, that was the last time. october 2020 in another debate that they were in the same room. that tradition of the outgoing president welcoming the incoming president, even if you're the incumbent happened before. it happened with jimmy carter.

it happened with george h.w. bush. they welcomed the guy who beat them to the white house. there you see the pictures there. that did not happen. donald trump did not go to the inauguration. against that back drop, what will we see tonight? >> there is a lot of hate. hate on the stage and hate in the crowd. president obama was there, also, we should add when donald trump won. and hillary clinton showed up to donald trump's inauguration. george bush went to donald trump's inauguration after he trashed them. so there is a category difference here. not only did trump try to overthrow the government. after he failed at that, i think that underscores the animosity but also is an attack opportunity for joe biden. you don't care about democracy. you attacked our democracy. you don't care about police. you say you do. but the capitol police that were

there that day, some died. some were attacked. you never called them. and you're a sore loser. and nobody likes a sore loser. i think that if joe biden can effectively take the legitimate reasons why there is animosity and turn them into an attack line, i think that could be useful for him. as we talk about the hate and the haters, when you hear from the double haters, like, they do hate. hate is right for donald trump. joe biden is kind of like, eh! they're not sure he's up for it. if joe biden can remind people that he's up for it, i think it could be a good game tonight. >> i want to ask but the other big story. the supreme court decision on abortion. the justices allowing emergency abortions to continue to be performed but only for now after dismissing the state's challenge to the federal law. the biden campaign is already hammering away on this issue, releasing a new add.

>> i was around 11 weeks when i had a miscarriage. the pain was excruciating. i was turned away from two emergency rooms. that was a direct result of donald trump overturning roe v. wade. >> simone, how does joe biden effectively lean into that issue tonight? >> talking about the people's stories and describing what it means. when the issue of abortion come up, it will come up. if it is only talked about in these very bureaucratic term, that's not what will speak to the people watching at home. when you are prepping for a debate, special lay presidential debate, the biggest thing, this is when i was in president biden's debate cabinet when he was candidate biden, find opportunities to turn through the camera. cut through the noise of the opponent standing next to you. look directly into the camera and speak to the american people.

i think this particular issue will be one of those. this particular issue in idaho, before the supreme court's ruling, in idaho, women were not able to get an abortion if they needed one, if they showed up in an emergency room if they were pregnant and needed it to save their life. if they needed it now, that's something the president has to speak to in the debate stage. and donald trump, i would be interested to see if he says it is health care. that could be a moment for joe biden to take it directly to the american people and transcend past the cameras and jake and dana. >> it's interesting. . you reported today that there is a plan for joe biden to try to get under donald trump's skin. and i'm wondering, do you do it with abortion, calling him on all the flip-flops and taking credit multiple times, including recently, for the overturning of roe v. wade. do you go after him for not

winning 2020? how does he get under his skin? >> all the above and then some. i think we'll see a pretty aggressive president biden on a couple of issues. abortion for sure. we've noticed vice president harris using trump-abortion bans as a phrase. he'll talk about defending democracy at home and abroad saying trump sided with putin but also sided with the rioters who stormed the capitol on january 6th. we'll hear him talk about the 2020 election. potentially asking for the moderators, hey, who won in 2020? which not only points out that he's a loser but likely have trump repeat big lie to the national television audience. there's chatter from the trump campaign that he will come in more disciplined. he'll be calmer. we've seen him do that for small bursts in the past. the thought is from the president and his team, try to knock him off that. provoke the real donald trump. the donald trump we see every day at a rally. that sort of more chaotic donald trump will not play well with the viewers who are still going

back and forth between the two candidates. >> for all the campaigns all of us have been a part of, we've never been here at a debate this early by months. strategically, having it this early, the mic cut. nobody in the audience. does it favor one or the other? >> i think the early side favors biden for the reasons he pointed out. i think it was important for biden to clarify, this is a two-person race. >> have the voters gotten that message? >> i think they're hoping tonight is the way to get them that message. biden is really struggling. even with people who are not paying attention, he's hoping this will focus the mind a little bit. i have to say, i think the mic-cut thing probably helps trump a bit. i'm unsure which campaign was pushing for that. it benefits biden if trump seems like a crazy person. biden's best moments in the 2020 debate was when he snapped back at trump for continuing to interrupt him.

so i don't know why they would help keep trump in a cage. i think that marginally helps trump tonight. >> i was looking at the "wall street journal." joe biden has been in more than 30 presidential-level debates in his lifetime. trump has engaged in roughly half that many. you normally look at that and say, oh, more experience, better off. sl there any such thing when it comes to the this making a difference? >> biden has come out ahead in both. first, much like the state of the union, trump can say biden is too old, too feeble. if he has a strong performance, he'll be able to quiet some of the chatter. at least for the time being. and i think that the other thing that plays tonight, barack obama struggled against mitt romney. the president is not used to being challenged. and they didn't have to go

through a primary process, they're rusty. >> and they have a day job. >> they have a day job. they're busy. >> that may be true for biden even though he's been preparing. but the other person is ready to go. trump skimmed all the republican primaries and he hasn't sat for a contentious interview for years. >> the one that said news max was settled fairly. >> all right. jonathan, thank you. tim and simone, you're staying with me. tonight, rachel maddow leads the analysis of the presidential debate. watch tonight on msnbc at 7:00 p.m. and at 9:00 p.m. you can watch the debate right here. stay tuned for analysis and coverage all night long. in 90 seconds, brand new poll numbers showing how razor thin this is, making tonight's stakes even higher. steve kornacki standing by to

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ask your doctor about otezla. nothing dims my light like a migraine. with nurtec odt, i found relief. the only migraine medication that helps treat and prevent, all in one. to those with migraine, i see you. for the acute treatment of migraine with or without aura and the preventive treatment of episodic migraine in adults. don't take if allergic to nurtec odt. allergic reactions can occur, even days after using. most common side effects were nausea, indigestion, and stomach pain. it's time we all shine. talk to a healthcare provider about nurtec odt from pfizer. we're back live in atlanta. three new polls in the last 24 hours shows little has changed over many months in the race for president which means tonight is a rare opportunity to shake up the race. is that realistic? can debates change the trajectory of an election? joe biden and donald trump stand

before a nation that has changed dramatically since their last face-off in october of 2020. there's been an insurrection that threatened democracy. two wars started. one in ukraine. the other in gaza. a lingering pandemic roiled the economy. and the trial ended in the conviction of a former president. all of those things almost certain to be part of the driver of the debate tonight. msnbc's steve kornacki is at the big board. tim, i know you've been looking at past debates. you're looking at what they can tell us about voter enthusiasm this year. >> one thing that's interesting that everybody knows that jumps out right away is how unusual the timing of this debate is. obviously, the democratic republican conventions haven't even been held yet. these two candidates are not yet officially the nominees of their party. yet they're meeting in a debate, nationally televised on june 27th. basically, if you went back, 1960, of course, you had

kennedy/nixon. they were the first debates of the television era. there was a gap. they picked up again in 1976. a four-year presence ever since. what you're looking at is the date of the first presidential debate in all the past elections. the earliest until this year was back in '76. gerald ford, jimmy carter. it was on september 23rd. so we are basically three months earlier than that right now. so what that does in terms of who is plugged in, who will watch this, late june, start of summer. it is kind of a big wild card. in terms of what we've seen, this is last time around. the first trump/biden debate, there were 73 million who watched that debate. that was in the fall. that was much closer to the election. that was also during covid. perhaps more people at home back then. not much else to do. it was 73.1 million. that was what you're seeing here. these are the three highest

rated debates in history for the first debate of a general election. the lead-off debate which is what this is. you see the 2020 number. you see the clinton/trump debate in 2016. 84 million. reagan and carter. this was their only debate in 1988. it was held ten days before the election. so on the high end, these are the biggest audiences we've seen. how will tonight measure up? on the low end, here they are. the three least watched. you see the exciting electric clinton-dole race of 1996. that thing seemed like stuck with the 10-point clinton lead all race. not much of an audience for that one. bush and gore in 2000. mccain and obama. interesting to see where the audience fits in, given the range right there. in terms the back drop politically for biden, the incumbent heading into this debate. let's look here. you got biden as he average job approval rating coming into this debate. it stands now at 40.7%.

what you see here, these are all the other modern incumbents. what their average rating was on the day of the first debate. you can see here. the three candidates, the three incumbents who lost, carter in 80. he was at 35.5%. george w. bush in '92. at 37.8%. donald trump, last time around. he was at 44.8%. so biden's number is below where trump's was four years ago. the rest of these incouple bentz all went on to win re-election. they had higher approval ratings. so that's where biden is. very perilous territory. we know that. the question for him, how big will the audience and will he make an impression on the audience that changes the numbers at all? >> steve kornacki, fascinating stuff. thank you. he's a numbers guy. let me throw another number at you. there's a new quinnipiac. a national poll. it shows trump with a slight chance. 49 to 45%.

again, within the margin of error. we've seen it time and time again. and in the "new york times" race, both have broad number. can a debate change the trajectory of a race potentially? >> absolutely. romney didn't end up winning but the poll numbers changed dramatically in romney's favor and made the obama-romney race that had him winning wire to wire and then folks retreated back. if you're biden, you hope it does the inverse of that. that there is a category of people that voted for him in 2020 that aren't happy with him right now. maybe they think he's too old. maybe they don't like the inflation. maybe they're concerned about israel-gaza. and he's hoping that tonight by creating a contrast with donald trump, he can remind the voters, you might have issues with me about one of those issues but you don't like that guy and

bring them back to his camp. i think that's a more realistic goal than trump winning over new people. >> they put out a statement saying, you can't change the trajectory of a race with a debate. you have a locked-in electorate. >> it depends on the meaning of trajectory. we won't wake up on the fourth of july with joe biden in a 10-point lead. i'm sorry. that won't happen. can there be a meaningful shift? the nikki haley voters, the black and hispanic men, and the younger voters. can things change with them? i think potentially. >> and often they're viral moments. they may be in the positive. you can go back to president ford who seemed to deny the reality that the soviet union -- >> i wanted to rewatch that. it was such a quaint gaffe.

he could have misspoke. >> i think we have that. let's watch it. >> there is no soviet domination of eastern europe and there never will be under a ford administration. >> i'm sorry. could i just -- did i understand you to say that the russians are not using eastern europe as their own sphere of influence and occupying most of the countries there? >> the thing that strikes you there, how polite everything is there. could a gaffe be the thing. not something positive. not a clever turn of phrase. but a gaffe really send a message, maybe this guy isn't up for the job. >> i don't think so in this day and age. literally if you put that gaffe in the middle of the debate, it wouldn't even make coverage tomorrow. we could do 24-hour cable and they wouldn't even mention that. i think that a zinger on social media, and like, because of their age, like a physical gaffe. like a momentary lapse.

i mean, i think -- >> don't check your watch in the middle of a debate. >> poor george h.w. bush. >> stay with me. we're not done with you yet. up next, millions will be watching but the critical target is a tiny fraction of that. will undecided voters including here in georgia make a decision on what they see tonight and what actually are they looking for specifically? you're watching chris jansing reports live from atlanta. g reports live from atlanta. has no idea she's sitting on a goldmine. well she doesn't know that if she owns a life insurance policy of $100,000 or more she can sell all or part of it to coventry for cash. even a term policy. even a term policy? even a term policy! find out if you're sitting on a goldmine. call coventry direct today at the number on your screen, or visit coventrydirect.com.

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tonight the nation will be watching in what will be the largest audience of this campaign. we saw it a little time ago with steve kornacki. 73 million viewers watched that very first biden-trump debate in 2020. in reality, the critical target of today's debate is actually a very small sliver of the electorate. undecided voters in six battle ground states who will decide the election. one of those states is here, georgia. a state joe biden won by a little more than .2%. so voters here have outsized power to decide who will be the next president. with me now, two experts who have covered the ins and outs of georgia politics side by side for almost a decade. the southern regional director for the obama 2012 campaign. a democratic strategist and ceo

of paramount consulting group. and brian is a republican strategist, former spokesman for georgia governor nathan diehl. i love that you're friendly with each other. none of the animosity we see, or expecting to see on the debate stage. as it stands, trump is ahead. but again, within the margin of error. we've seen this in all the battle ground states. from the atlantic constitution, she joked that she practically lives here. how important is tonight to moving the needle? >> well, biden has a long way to go in georgia. yes, he has had some leads -- i'm sorry, just outside the margin of error but in the new york time, they have been double digits. we've seen consistent leads for trump throughout the last year here in georgia. one thing that is a great concern for joe biden, the poll this week showed trump doing better with voters 18-29.

an area that democrats usually dominate. one thing of note here, we discuss it a lot. both campaigns highly targeting georgia's black voters. they're 30% of our electorate and we're seeing more and more willing to say, they'll vote republican. trump is really coming into that coalition. he's having events with barber shops this week. there will be a real battle for those voters in georgia. and if biden loses any ground with them, he cannot win georgia. >> well, our reporter went out and talked with a bunch of people, half a dozen of them, who voted for joe biden but aren't feeling it this time around. let's listen. >> president biden, what if anything do you like about him? >> i'm struggling to think of something. >> i honestly can't think of one thing. >> flip side. let's go to former president trump. what do you like about him? >> nothing.

>> i second it. >> they say they'll vote for third party candidates. that's a winnable group. right? for both these guys. how do they do it? how do they convince them, don't go with a third party. vote for me. >> the first thing is remind voters that we actually won the state in 2020. and how do we win it? we put together the biden coalition. it is a key part of the women that you just showed on that screen. particularly african women. and african-american men, they're throwing money here and there and showing up a week before, the biden campaign has invested millions and millions not just in georgia but all over the country. doing black social media outreach and having small focus groups. you mention in the your opening that vice president harris, you're right. she practically lives here. she's down here so much. i wanted to get her a membership to one of our clubs to make sure

she feels welcome. so what you will see the difference is that the biden campaign has a systemic relationship with the georgia voters. we won in 2020 and we won because we had a state strategy and we had a better ground game than the trump campaign had. let's talk about the apathy. that's what you heard. it is not just directed at apply guy, joe biden. but also at trump. >> in some ways it goes beyond apathy. they're really disaffected. they're the double haters. and i think some of them may be in that category. they don't like these guys. they think joe biden is too old and they think that donald trump is too volatile. >> they think that donald trump is too corrupt. and they think that joe biden is an established candidate who has a long history of experience in government but they don't say he's corrupt. they don't think he's a bad guy or a liar or misleading the american people. the one thing the biden campaign will prove tonight. before you tell people all the solutions you have, before you provide them the answers, you

have to show them that you care. i think the empathy and the conduct and the candor the president will show through his record and how he presents himself to the american people will come his way. and we still have almost five months to go in this campaign. i was right here in 2020 where a lot of media people wrote the georgia campaign off. they thought there was no way georgia would let the first presidential candidate since 1992. we did it and we'll do it again. >> if trump wins here, how did he do it? there's been at love conversation not just here but around the country that so much money has been spent on his trials that the ground game didn't get up and running fast enough that biden has the advantage there. what will it take in georgia? what do they have to hear on the debate stage? >> georgians want to know what all americans want to know. what will you do about the cost of living? atlanta has among the highest inflations around the country because we're continuing to grow and it is really shooting up apartment prices, for example.

that's really unaffordable for many in the state. talk about that. talk about immigration. we had a grisly murder here committed allegedly by an illegal immigrant. >> allegedly? >> yeah. that is top of mind for many voters. we're continuing to see violence committed by illegal immigrants in new york. so those issues are top of mind for georgians and frankly -- >> are you seeing a ground game that can win for donald trump here? >> absolutely. yes, yes. the ground game is highly overrated, for one thing. will biden have more staffers? more campaign offices? absolutely. but the trump campaign will hire over 40 people to have in this state. they'll invest heavily here. and we're winning. we're winning here. >> and he this thought they were winning four years ago and we won. i'm telling you, when it comes to the ground game, the quality

of what we have, knowing the state, they're just getting here. and just opening up barber shops, spending money, going into bars, hiring republican black people to say we love you won't win this state. what will win this state is starting with the president tonight. after he win this debate, continuing the ground game. spending time here. bringing in infrastructure. if you want to talk about immigration, republicans need to step up and join the president. it was donald trump who started the immigration plan. >> and you're still friends, right? >> oh, yeah. we do it three time a week. coming up, muted mics and no audience. how the new rules will affect the debate and who does it benefit the most? s it benefit the most (vo) if you have graves' disease, your eye symptoms could mean something more. that gritty feeling can't be brushed away. even a little blurry vision can distort things. and something serious may be behind those itchy eyes.

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president biden departing joint base andrews right now for atlanta. you see him getting off marine one making his way to air force one and he'll be headed here for arguably the most important debate over the 40 debates he has had in his long career and several presidential runs. he has been at camp david prepping for this. maybe had a little bit of down time. we expect to see former president trump a little bit later today. it's going to be a different debate in atlanta. muted mics. no audience. tonight's debate will have

specific rules that we aren't used to seeing. who might that help or hurt? sim own sanders townsend and tim miller are back with me. we know microphones will be muted. let's start there. what will that be like? boom! >> complain the hope is that donald trump will be in a mime situation where he's trying to talk and he won't be able to. >> can i show you? we have stuff from the last debate and we can slow you what that looks like. >> if we go behind the podiums, you can see two green lights. when they're on, they signal to the candidate, his microphone is on. when the green lights are off, they signal to the candidate his microphone is off. now i want to give you a sense of what it will look like for viewer at home if a candidate's microphone is on versus off. i'll ask him to take the other podium. my light is green and i'm speaking. phil's microphone is off and his

green lights are not illuminated. he's going to interrupt me as i'm speaking and this is what it will sound like. my volume remains constant. while his interruption can be difficult to understand. >> so that is a demo. mute! mute! >> phil is a lot more handsome and chill than donald trump. so i don't know about if that's what it could look like. >> or sound like. >> or sound like. donald trump called someone beautiful. so looks apparently are on the table for donald trump. i think that muting him probably helps him. as i mentioned last segment. you want him to seem crazy. that that, i think it gives joe biden a little sense of, he has attack lines to deliver. he can deliver them without having a crazy person screaming at him over there. and i do think that that is probably the biden campaign's mindset on this. >> i think simone, there is a

little bit of talent involved in this. a little bit of getting used to. he can still be talking. but then the guy who actually has the mic has to continue to be talking and have a coherent thought, right? and not be distracted. while we may not be able to hear them at home, in that debate hall, right? they can, he can hear it. >> exactly. and it is again, to remind yourself. the candidates on the stage will have to remind themselves, they're speaking to the folks at home. and when and if, let's just say when, because i was at the last debate between donald trump and joe biden. there will be an interruption, folks. when essentially, the president is speaking, and donald trump decides he doesn't like what he's saying and he wants to jump in, joe biden will be able to hear trump. it will sound regular and audible to him in the room. it will need to be a reminder to continue to speak through that because the american people, watching, will not be able to hear to the extent that joe biden can. so that is why debate prem is

important. i would bet my bottom dollar. my last $100, that that was practiced in debate prep in some way, shape or form over the last week. it is also, it is just as much about what is said as it is about how one looks, right? we know that the candidates on the debate stage are old. they are seasoned individuals. for folks at home, they'll be looking to see, for people who are, i don't know about joe biden. how does he present? how does he sound? does he have a command of the stage? the substance, how he presents it will matter. that is something that you practice in debate prep. >> two seasoned individuals, speaking of the president and former president, and simone and tim, thank you both. appreciate it. be sure to check out simone on nbc's "the weekend" saturdays and sundays. and coming up, the overarching

strategy. do both candidates have a targeting goal no matter what the questions? how do they make sure they achieve that goal? deliver that message? in our next hour, we'll speak with a key member of the biden campaign about what we can expect from the president tonight. you're watching chris jansing reports. we are live in atlanta. tlanta with nurtec odt, i found relief. the only migraine medication that helps treat and prevent, all in one. to those with migraine, i see you. for the acute treatment of migraine with or without aura and the preventive treatment of episodic migraine in adults. don't take if allergic to nurtec odt. allergic reactions can occur, even days after using. most common side effects were nausea, indigestion, and stomach pain. it's time we all shine. talk to a healthcare provider about nurtec odt from pfizer. ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ chewy, a citi client, uses citi's financial expertise

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tonight's questions, so a common debate strategy is have some pre-planned lines to hit topics no matter what is exactly asked. donald trump and joe biden, well, what might they be keeping in their back pockets? lance trover is republican strategist and doug burgum's presidential campaign spokesman. good to see you, lance. so what do you think the big topics are that both sides need to hit and should have in their back pocket no matter what. >> we should spend time discussing how they're prepping and no question both of these guys will come to this debate prepared and i think something someone like joe biden has is they want to hear about gas prices and immigration. they're not really on his side so he has more of a heavy lift and a heavier sell to the voters whereas donald trump comes in with the messaging to say, hey, look, things are a mess right

now. i get it. put me back in office. i'll get the things fixed. >> tell me what you're looking for and tell me what you think can make or break a debate like this? a debate -- sometimes a lot of this is hyperbole, but this is a debate like no other. this campaign, this race has been stuck 48-48, 49-49 for months and months. >> i'm not sure there will be a breakout moment and both of these guys know what they'll have to do and it will come down to sticking to the issues and the messages that they have. there's no doubt how you present and how you talk about these things are important and voters right now are really looking for substance. they're out there paying $5, $6 for a dozen eggs or paying $4 a gallon for gas and that's what votes are are honing in on and it's a real opportunity for both of these guys to get voters

focused on this election and their messages. >> some of the folks on trump's campaign have been talking to our folks and amping up the idea that he could announce his vice presidential runningmate as soon as this afternoon, that it could happen at any moment, now whether or not that's true or not no one probably knows except for donald trump and your former boss, north dakota doug burgum is reportedly a final contender. he's expected to be here tonight. what do you think the chances are that he gets on the ticket? >> that's a good question. you'll be asking me to predict what donald trump will do and id be in las vegas and on an island tomorrow morning and i have no predictions on that, for sure. look, if doug burgum is on the short list as nbc and others have reported, it makes sense. he's a get it done executive and he's had a lot of success both in his business career and as governor. as people think about someone like doug, he doesn't need a job. he doesn't need to run for

governor and he did it because he didn't want to change the state and he didn't want to run for president and he needed to see a change in the country and that's why he's endorsed donald trump and he wants to see a change in america and that's why he's all in for donald trump. >> we've only got 30 seconds, but i'm curious, there are people who are used to being the boss. number two is not an appealing place for them to be. is that something you think doug burgum really would love to do, though? >> i think doug burgum is a get it done executive and desperately, desperately, i spent a lot of time traveling between iowa and new hampshire. he just wants to see a change of direction in this country and that's why he's supporting donald trump and that's why he's with him tonight. >> lance trover. it's good to have you the program and we appreciate your time. still to come, the top issues voters want candidates to address tonight. we found that out from some polls and we have much more debate coverage with our expert political panel ahead.

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♪♪ ♪♪ welcome back to the site of the most highly anticipated event of the campaign season so far. i'm chris jansing live in atlanta for the first presidential debate. behind me, that's the spin room where top surrogates will make their case for their candidate after the debate, but as