>> welcome, bloomberg politics special coverage of the second presidential debate between hillary clinton and donald trump. we're live from washington university in singh the west where the candidates will face minutes in the high-stakes imaginable. i'm mark halperin with john heilemann in the spin room where we are going to have a complete pregame and postgame coverage of this big event on bloomberg television and some of you may

be watching streaming on twitter thanks to our new partnership with twitter. you can follow us or go to debates. twitter.com for all of our debate coverage. john: tonight's debate will be moderated by martha raddatz and anderson cooper. it will be a town hall format. we will hear from an audience of about 40 undecided voters from the st. louis area. donald trump decided to make some news even before this debate got going with an unannounced, extraordinary, and shocking press conference before the biggest moment of his political life. trump appeared alongside four women among the clinton's most vociferous accusers. three of these women have accused bill clinton of unwanted adventures and sexual assault. another woman was a 12-year-old victim of rape in the 1970's and hillary clinton was the

court-appointed lawyer defending the man accused of the crime. 'm here to support mr. trump because he's going to make america great again. >> at 12 years old, hillary put me or something you would never put a 12-year-old through. she says she's for women and children. she was asked last year what happened and she said she's supposed to defend. now she's laughing on tape, saying she knows they did it. >> mr. trump may have said some bad words, but bill clinton raped me and hillary clinton threatened me. i don't think there's any comparison. >> he said, i love this country and i want america to be great again. i cried when he said that. i think this is the greatest country in the world.

mark, it is no exaggeration to say that the viability of donald trump's candidacy and more in some ways hinges on his performance tonight. in light of what we've just seen and everything that has happened in the last 48 hours, what are you expecting tonight? mark: hillary clinton is going to have to be very well-prepared and probably knows what she's going to say on almost any version of what happens. donald trump is the big variable. he signaled in the first debate that he was interested in talking about bill clinton's personal life and hillary clinton's role in that. he had this incident on friday with the tape. most candidates don't have press conferences of any type 90 minutes before a big debate. donald trump has engaged in warfare. john: this is incredible. we've never seen anything like this. it is shocking in some ways. it portends armageddon, i think, on stage tonight. there's no reason to introduce

something as provocative as this if you are not going to essentially go completely nuclear. of a it makes the prospect thoughtful discussion on education or health care -- this will be the story at the debate. john: the only story. mark: and it will rival the discussion about the videotape involving donald trump and the remarks he made a decade ago. it is going to be fierce, aggressive, fight to the death conflict no matter what the moderators ask what they do. john: judging from republicans we've talked to in this hall, and republicans on twitter, republicans as much as democrats think this is donald trump pouring gasoline over his head and lighting himself on fire. this is aty think suicidal thing for him to do. those who will vote for donald trump no matter what love this, but donald trump is behind

in this race. a lot of people are skeptical that this is the way to come back. we caught up with one of hillary clinton's surrogates, the former governor of michigan. john and i talked to her. we started by asking her if private conduct that is a decade old or older should matter to voters. >> if that private conduct continues beyond 10 years ago or is a part of a pattern of one's existence, yes, it should matter. we're talking about trump. mark: i'm talking about any candidate's private conduct. republicans are saying that there is private conduct of hillary clinton that is maybe a decade old, but why is that less relevant dustin mark -- relevant? >> i guess the question is, is this going to continue? is this something that will drag america into the cellar, that will degrade the presidency? is it a one-time thing that

somebody has earnestly apologized for or is this an ongoing pattern of degradation of women? mark: one more and i will turn to john. republicans and donald trump have been saying that hillary clinton has a pattern of attacking women who accuse her husband of sexual impropriety. >> donald trump is saying that because he wants to avoid the conversation about himself. so he attacks her for the activities of her husband. it all flows from the activities of her husband. they stayed together. it is her issue, for private hell that she's had to deal with. she wrote about it in a very profound and real way. to continue down that path will only mean that women will support her more. john: is there anything donald trump could say tonight that would satisfy you? >> me? is there something that would satisfy people who are undecided

like the ones in the audience? possibly. john: what what a trump performance be, from your view, politically and morally successful? >> from a moral perspective, he would have to get on his knees. there's no podium. say, i'm truly and honestly sorry for embarrassing my wife, for embarrassing my family, for embarrassing this country, for having you all out there whose children have been watching this language. i'm ashamed and i will never do it again. will that actually be a sincere thing? is that something he's constitutionally capable of doing? i don't think so. mark: there's always been focused on what happened with donald trump since friday when these tapes were released. there's the material released in terms of these e-mails. how much do you think hillary clinton will have to discuss and defend some of the stuff that

has been revealed in those e-mails? >> she's going to have to talk about that for sure. i'm sure she will talk about the derivation of that as well in terms of the russians having leaked the information. she will have to talk about that. i don't know. we will see how much she forces him to talk about issues that are uncomfortable for him. today, you guys probably saw this, it was revealed on "meet the press" that other pieces of tape where he talked about going to the pageant, going into the dressing room because he was doing an inspection, watching these women get undressed, that is just lecherous creepiness. that is so beyond the pale of what we deserve for a president. i just don't know how he can possibly overcome that. you guys talked about there being a closet full of shoes,

not just one shoe to drop, but a whole bunch. i don't know what else is out there. but if there continues to be this pattern, there is just no way that america will allow him to overcome this. mark: up until this, the high command in brooklyn, the clinton campaign has said this is going to be close. in your view, is this race still going to be close? >> i think the reason it will be closer than people think, or it should be, is because we are such a divided electorate. you saw the poll this morning which said that a large majority of republicans do not believe he should step down. he will have a good chunk of his base. i don't think what happened on friday is going to make it any closer. i think it will help to build a lead for her but you can't let down your guard. i bet you he will be subdued and he will be chastened a bit, even

if he doesn't overly apologize in the way that i think he should. he may do himself some good tonight, but ultimately i think because she connects with people in a one on one and he hasn't been doing that -- he parachutes into these big events, doesn't talk to real people. tonight i think will further cement her as the leader for this country. john: our thanks for granting that interview which did take place the four donald trump's extraordinary meeting. we also got a chance to talk shortly after that to trump campaign senior adviser aged elgato. let's take a look. >> there's a lot of debate tonight about things that have happened in people's past. donald trump has held a press conference with women accusing bill clinton and hillary clinton of things in the past. is that what this debate should be about, the private past of

the candidates? >> absolutely not. i think mr. trump called that press conference because he was pushed into a corner where he was falsely painted as being anti-women. the natural response is to say, listen, hillary clinton, you don't have a great record of being a champion of women. you've attacked women who were the victims of bill clinton. this was noted in "the new york times" about a week ago when it was noted that hillary clinton hired a private investigator. mark: i want to ask you about donald trump. i want you to focus on mr. trump. when you heard the tapes, the way he spoke to billy bush, how did that make you feel as a person? >> i honestly felt it was a guy using hyperbole. of course the comments were inappropriate. he is not condoning them. i am not condoning them. but i'm also a person of faith

and i think when somebody said, i apologize, and you genuinely apologize, i accept that and move on. let's focus on the real issues. i'm a voter. that mr.elieve 100% trump is a champion of women. as a working woman, that really inspires me. his actions speak louder than his words when it comes to women. it bothered me a little bit, but he apologized. john: you said that he was being falsely painted. are the implications from people hearing those words, in what way is that a false picture of donald trump? those were his words. >> because they are implying that it represents him as a man when it comes to women. it was one isolated incident where he was maybe speaking a little bit loosely or using

inappropriate terms. john: is it really an isolated incident? >> we have one tape, correct? john: you are familiar with the conversation with howard stern that it was ok to call his daughter something very inappropriate? there's tape of him talking about going backstage and looking at beauty contestants when they are naked. it is not as if there is one incident. >> it is howard stern though. megyn kelly went on howard stern and talked about the size of her breasts. i don't think she's anti-women. that is the way people speak on howard stern. look at his maternity childcare plan. he is a champion of women. i'm not going to discount his record and his policy positions -- john: when he's referred to women as pigs, slobs, and dogs, that doesn't bother you? >> he refers to men in the same terms. he's an equal opportunity offender. that is ok.

we just want to be treated equally. mark: why do you think so many members of congress and others have reacted differently, including some who aren't up for reelection? >> most of the names you see are people who didn't support mr. trump to begin with, or tepidly supported him. this is their way of kind of driving that. you explainuld someone like -- >> some feel that maybe this has received so much media attention that they are thinking, i don't want to associate myself with this. mark: are you open to the possibility that they are morally offended? >> i can't speak for other people, but i believe 74% of the base is saying, we want you to stick with donald trump. that is up to them and their conscious. they are elected officials. when paul ryan is being booed when he criticized mr. trump, i

think he needs to listen to the base and answer to the constituents. mark: tell me how you feel before this debate. how are you feeling about the candidacy? >> i feel the same way everybody else does. nobody knows what is going to happen. it is very different. we might imagine what a moderator might ask. it would be silly of me to make a prediction. i just hope we can stick to the issues. mark: we will hold our breath and see. >> thank you. mark: we are about 15 minutes away from the start of this presidential debate. lots going on in the pregame. john and i will be back with more bloomberg politics preview of the debate, and yes, modern technology, streaming now on the twittersphere. follow all the action, the debate, and the post game. we will be back with more right after this. ♪

john: welcome back to the spin room at washington university in st. louis. i'm john heilemann with mark halperin. we are partnering with twitter for special coverage. you can watch live from pretty much any device connected to the internet. joining us now is bloomberg political reporter jennifer jacobs. you follow donald trump. we just watched an amazing and unexpected thing occur. >> it was meant to shock. they did not want the press to know about it ahead of time. it came together rather quickly. i talked to a strategist who told me that juanita broaddrick was already in washington, d.c. for some interviews. mark: you can see hillary clinton arriving at the debate site. donald trump, we are told, has

already arrived. john: with husband bill clinton right behind her. >> there was some controversy, some debate about how to do this. one strategist would have preferred to give the women a chance to really talk about their cases instead of it being like donald trump didn't even know who these women were. instead, they wanted to do it tonight. someone said it was the political equivalent of walking into the debate hall and grabbing hillary clinton by the genitals. it was meant to throw her off and show that he is not going to be humble or contrite. this is telegraphing that he's going to do the opposite. mark: what do we know about how prepared donald trump is to try to win the debate tonight, which people think he must do? hope he showsists

some mastery of the issues. they are trying to make it seem like this is not about style, but issues. it is hard to tell how much he was able to concentrate on debate prep. he's had a crazy 48 hours. i'm not sure that is the best environment for any candidate. john: jennifer, i want to ask you the obvious question. how do you square the notion of, we want donald trump to talk about issues and policy, with having done this thing they just did, signaling the way he's going to relate it to bill clinton and hillary clinton and these women? >> perhaps they wanted to get it over with and then he can be presidential on the debate floor. mark: thank you very much. you are looking live in the hall where the debate will take place starting in just over 10 minutes. there's a little pregame for folks in the hall. hillary clinton is here on campus as is donald trump. joining us now, bloomberg senior white house correspondent margaret talev.

hillary clinton advisors put out a statement. claire mccaskill, senator from missouri, said she will not be shaken by this at all. how do you think the clinton campaign feels about that? >> i imagine, full of anxiety, as well as full of readiness. they have been preparing for this for months. they always knew this was a possibility. rarelyillary clinton has been asked about these women. they have tried to keep her from being put in positions -- there was one time she was asked about it in a town hall and she changed the subject. >> but this conversation has never really happened. it is one thing to prepare for it, but it is completely another thing for it to actually happen. we believe that all of these women were invited to be in the audience. bill clinton is also going to be

in the audience. bill clinton and these women who have accused him of various degrees of harassment and assault. john: i'm curious about whether you know anything about this one question that has been on my mind, whether hillary clinton is going to come out and shake donald trump's hand. it seems to me to be even more pointed, this question of whether she's going to greet him as she what a normal opponent. >> she doesn't think he's a normal opponent, but she also has really strived so far to conduct herself as a states woman, with dignity, and to try to act as if she were not phased by any of these things. tonight presents a different opportunity because of what has just happened. while it certainly seems like he's about to go desk on completely, there is another possibility, that he's already done it. maybe it has just already happened. maybe this debate ends up, if he has his way, turning toward

foreign policy questions. mark: and it is the case that who appearedwomen with donald trump just moments ago at a press availability are sitting in the front row of this event where presumably they will be within a stone's throw of bill clinton, a man they've made accusations about. a lot of human drama in this room tonight on and off the debate stage. john: here with us now is another colleague, megan murphy. we've all been shaken in some ways by the spectacle that just played out. what is it you are hearing from your sources about what they think of the wisdom of this maneuver by trump and how it seems to suggest what his approach is going to be to the debate? we've just had another one of

our reporters in the room come in, and the short of shock and surprise they have, the feeling of who has any control over him when he looks at doing these kind of things, who is thinking this is a good idea, what voters are they looking at? i think that is the question on everyone's mind. what was he thinking in terms of what he can gain? mark: the reality is, had trumped not done this, the focus would have been almost exclusively on the videotape released on friday. >> he changed that narrative for sure. mark: there will be a discussion about bill clinton's behavior and hillary clinton's associated behavior. >> do we think that actually moves the needle for him? is that a self immolation? mark: it could be. but the topic has been changed. >> i would say the mood is just stunned.

when that first came out, people's mouths literally dropped. you could hear editors calling over each other, like what is going on? 90 minutes away from a make or break political resurrection moment, he's chosen instead to go down in flames. winner take all. whether he can make any dent, we will have to see. john: there's no doubt it has changed or at least expanded the range of discussion this evening, in a not necessarily pleasant way for a lot of viewers that want to hear about issues. is there anyway in which this potentially gains donald trump any available votes in america? >> i can't see this playing out except for in a way that it reinvigorates the base behind a topic, this old-school legacy that there hasn't been enough attention in this race to his past. mark: president clinton and

melania trump have just been introduced. they shook hands pretty graciously at the first debate. see what happens here. another handshake. and president clinton greeting the trumped children as well. if you were watching this and didn't know what had just transpired, you would say business as usual. >> paula jones in the front row as well. mark: and you see there, not just ivanka trump and her brothers, but all of them under a fair amount of pressure with the scrutiny of the last 24 hours. there's chelsea clinton and her husband. the family is all here and they will be in close proximity to accusers against the clintons. let's take a quick break and come back with some final thoughts. and live coverage coming up then our postgame show after these words from our sponsors. ♪

ms. raddatz: -- mark: we are just minutes away from the start of the debate. moments ago, right before we went to the break, we saw images of bill clinton and melania trump and the trump family in the hall. this is going to be an intense event. you can watch it on bloomberg television or on twitter, our partner for debate coverage. we will be back after the debate for postgame interviews and analysis of what promises to be a pretty intense evening, an important evening for the country. we will be back after the debate, 90 minutes at 10:30 eastern time. john: there is always a lot of drama at these debates because

we never know exactly what is going to happen. i would say tonight, we know less about what is going to a, oh myhis is more of god, what are we about to watch? dealthillary clinton has with these questions her entire career, donald trump has not. tonight promises to potentially be one of the most dramatic moments we have seen, not just in this presidential race but in any modern presidential race. if the issues that donald trump raised this afternoon, the issues the video raised, if these issues are joined, it is going to be something. john: charged with deep visceral issues around gender and power. mark: you can see bill clinton there with chelsea clinton and the trump's as well as the most prominent accusers bill clinton has ever faced. drama,n addition to the it also could be a hallucinatory debate. we are seeing things on this stage that none of us imagined seeing