good to be with you. i'm ali vitali in for katy

turment. buckle up. after coming out swinging, kamala harris and her newly minted running mate, tim walz are continuing that you are toir, kicking off a rally in wisconsin expected to build on the attacks against the republican ticket and pushing walz's bipartisan appeal to voters. we're on the ground in today's rally in a moment. the trump campaign reacted to walz selection and at least from the outside, the former president is welcoming it. >> i can't believe t. i never thought this was going to be the one that was picked. i know him a little bit. i helped him very much during the riots. he's a very liberal man, and he's a shocking pick and i'm thrilled. i could not be more thrilled. >> trump's running mate, j.d. vance, gave a possible preview of how he plans to hit walz over the next three months, reviving attacks on walz's military career today in michigan. >> well, i wonder, tim walz,

when were you in war, what was this weapon that you carried into war given that you abandoned your unit right before they went to iraq, and he has not spent a day in a combat zone. what bothers me about tim walz was the stolen valor garbage, do not pretend to be something you're not. >> but are any of these punches that trump and vance have thrown so far landing. attacks have fallen completely flat. the initial flaming of walz as a radical liberal who will unleash hell on earth isn't matching reality. could it be effective with voters who aren't the defense. trump and vance signalled they want to face their counter parts, but they have some caveats. joining us now, nbc's shaquille brewster who is on the ground in the state of wisconsin. also with me in the studio, npr white house correspondent, dipa chevron, and msnbc political

analyst, peter backer. as always you are out there with the voters. what if any part of these things that we just talked about is resonating with them? >> reporter: among the support ers, the democrats who braved the long lines in wisconsin, who came out. you see the crowd behind me. look, they are very happy, enthusiastic, charged in a way that they weren't say, two and a half weeks ago. when they look at this pick specifically, a lot of them are trusting the vice president in her decision here. many of them had their favorites, as they watched this process play out. many of them say they believe she made the right decision, and what you get a sense of is that with governor walz's large biography, you get a sense that voters are plucking out the favorite part of it, as they learn a little bit more about him. get a listen to the conversations i have had with folks here in wisconsin.

>> i think it was a very good pick. he seems to be very educated, knowledgeable, and he's for our kids, which is great. not too many politicians are. >> we're super stoked about kamala and walz. we're from minnesota. >> yeah. >> and i'm definitely optimistic again and reenergized, it was looking grim for a second, but i feel like my hope is reinspired. >> veterans are extremely important. they have to realize if they want to protect the democracy, the constitution, we know who the candidate is, and that's kamala harris. >> reporter: now, what you're also seeing is a race to define governor walz, and a race to really introduce him and that's what's going on right now with these stops we saw yesterday and today in michigan, or later today in michigan, right now wisconsin. you're getting a sense that they're really trying to do what they can to introduce this candidate. as you have republicans, even in the state saying that they also liked this pick because it makes

the democratic ticket more liberal, they believe that especially here in wisconsin, which is a neighboring state to minnesota, people who are familiar with walz, people who are -- republicans who are familiar with him, they don't like what they see. local republicans are saying they are painting him in a liberal way, instead of talking about him as a bipartisan lawmaker, they talk about some of the laws he passed as governor, he signed as governor. you really get the race on both sides to define this new ticket even as democrats, you talk to them, you see the signs, you see the shirts, they are enthusiastic about their new ticket. >> that's really important work. watching how voters metabolize this. a great sound track. deepa, you covered harris for years. we have learned how much of her final decision on tim walz came down to chemistry, but it strikes me that one element of

the chemistry is ambition, something that was leveraged unsuccessfully against harris in 2020, when she was in the running to be biden's vp. what role did that play here, and how did it work in walz's affair? >> that's an interesting point. when kamala harris was going through this process, the question of well, she might want to be president one day was a negative on her side. and she had to prove to joe biden that she was willing to be a loyal number two, and having done that for the last four years as vice president, that was something that was very much a part of her thought process in picking her number two. is this person going to be waiting for the chance to take this number one spot or get in line with the agenda i'm trying to pass and think about and convince voters to get on board with. and so that was definitely an element that tim walz came in and said that, you know, i'm going to be vice president. i'm ready to sign up to be your number two and really worked. >> it also strikes me, and i had

people saying this in the very early stages of this process, it's been a week and a half. idea that it wasn't just being the vice president, being second, it was being second to a black and asian woman. and that was a piece of this too. >> there is an element, the racial dynamics, the gender dynamics. this is not something kamala harris can get on stage, vote for me, i'm the first, a black woman, asian woman, i'm a woman, and expect voters to take the message and run with it. it's about policy, about beating trump for her. she's hammering home that message, and so tim walz has to be willing to not dim her shine and light in that role. that's something we're watching this week. >> and validators are important for women candidates. peter, i want to come to you on the dynamic shift. the ending of the harris walz ending is something we haven't

seen in american politics. you say that plenty of happy warriors have lost. how does joy translate to votes here? >> yeah, that's absolutely true, of course hubert humphrey, the most famous warrior of modern times, fell short in 1968. you need, i think, for a party that felt kind of depressed, down, pessimistic for the last year and a half, to see the energy there on your screen in wisconsin, to see it last night in philadelphia, it's a very different dynamic than just a few weeks ago. people in the democratic party, they like joe biden, they respected him, in many cases, admired him, thought he did a good job. they weren't excited about him as a candidate going forward. kamala harris can take the best parts of the biden record, defend the entire record. make the argument about generational change. about not going backwards in a way that biden obviously could, and you see in the electricity in these crowds, the sense of hope and optimism that democrats haven't felt now, i think, for

quite a while. >> certainly it's been a head spinning series of weeks, and i've heard that idea of renewed joy from my democratic sources. i'm struck by something your colleague wrote about how republicans aren't going to let waltz style pass for modern politics, she writes in part, quote, large swaths of white rural voters are unlikely to break their year's long support of former president donald trump. but democrats hope mr. walz can curb the losses, expand where they can compete and reassure moderate democrats. how realistic is that hope for harris, and let's be clear, it's not just political assurance that walz brings here, it's identity assurance too as a white man on the ticket, right, peter? >> people want to see people that they feel comfortable with, who speak to their experiences. that's why a lot of people are excited by kamala harris because a lot of younger people feel

like she speaks to their experience as joe biden didn't. conversely, a lot of white male working class voters in some of these midwest and other critical battleground states may not feel she speaks to them in the same way they hope tim walz will speak to them. that is identity, that is about cultural connection more than ideology. the trump people will paint them as the mainstream. tim walz is not going to bring over trump voters. people committed to trump are committed to trump. what they're trying to do is get the biden voters in 2020, who defected, who left him, who are disappointed in him to come back to the democratic fold, particularly independents and independent minded democrats. that's what tim walz hopes they can do. >> at the end of the day, vice presidents aren't the thing that move mountains or metrics of votes. i think there's something to the politics of joy, though. what you have been out there, and you have, out on the campaign trail here, the politics of joy isn't new, as

you were reminding me with kamala harris, but it feels fresh and new now. >> it feels like voters are ready for that message. in 2019, when kamala harris was running for presidential. there was an element she was trying to bring of being a joyful warrior. they had bumper stickers of her face next to the phrase joyful warrior. this time around, that message, especially with tim walz next to her on the stage, democrats for years, ever since trump was running for president, have been saying this was a dangerous republican party, they are passing dangerous ideas, and voters have been talking to or saying we are ready for enthusiasm, ready for excitement and that's what you're seeing play out at the rallies. >> as people start trying to turn these into tangible hard votes. deepa, thank you for joining me in studio. peter baker as ever with the historical analysis you bring to us, thank you all so much. pennsylvania senator john fetterman came out to campaign for kamala harris and tim walz

after making headlines and raising eyebrows for his reported role in the selection process of her vice president. three sources told "politico," senator fetterman was concerned about the possibility that harris might choose his state's governor, josh shapiro to be her vice president that the team relayed those worries to the harris campaign, suggesting to harris's team that the senator believes shapiro is excessively focused on his own personal ambitions. joining us now, that democratic senator, john fetterman who represents the state of pennsylvania, senator, good to see you. we just read that reporting. so is it true? did you or your team have concerns about shapiro that you took to the harris team? >> i never directed anyone on my team or anyone to do that. so that's just not true. >> you're saying that's not true. did you have any concerns about shapiro as a possible pick here? >> no.

my issue that i ever existed with the current governor has nothing to do with anything that's been talked about or any kind of public baggage. within that article, it was all over some cases about the pardons. >> you mentioned the policy issue there. yesterday, at the pennsylvania rally, you didn't stand and clap during shapiro's remarks. is this one of the political rivalries in the same state or deeper policy issues likes ones you reference on sentencing. >> no, i mean, you know, if you would like to ask, you can ask him. but i thought i was here to talk about, you know, where we're at now. >> we can definitely talk about where we're at now because there have been some suggestions that shapiro's stance on israel, as well as the fact that he's jewish may have contributed to him not getting the pick. as someone who is very pro-israel yourself, what did

you make of those takes and what does that tell you about the party especially as it stands on this issue of israel and gaza? >> i just don't understand why we're talking about a choice that was already made. i was very clear that the vice president is perfectly capable of picking whoever they want. they have effectively unlimited funding. she has access to every democratic expert, and she made her choice, and that's where we're at right now. and here's right on the stage right now in wisconsin, and why are we talking about this weird stuff? i don't understand that. >> you are right that he is on the stage right now, so let's talk about the way that governor walz will play in the state of pennsylvania a state that you know so well. is this something that helps the democrats lock up this essential state? what's the role walz plays here? >> yeah, i mean, he is going to kick some ass, and he is just a regular guy, and he has very regular views. trump would want to talk about anything about vance and that

disaster. he would rather talk about stormy daniels and anything to try to change that conversation. now, let's be very clear, walz never said he hates the cops. actually, vance did that. and vance is very clear that he happened to agree that trump did sexually assault a woman, and all of these other kinds of things, and i don't think governor walz ever referred to the vice president as america's hitler, and all of those kinds of things. it's like, i challenge anybody, has vance ever generated one positive headline at all? i mean, he's a miracle. i would have to consider him a democratic asset. and i want to thank the former president. thank you, thank you for picking that kind of a disaster and his ongoing entertainment and watching him twist throughout all of this. >> i wonder, as you listen to these labels being bandied about, you know, walz is progressive, harris is

progressive, are they moderate, you were able to carry that label and win a wide swath of voters in pennsylvania. what's the right way for the harris/walz ticket to position themselves in these progressive and moderate lanes? how do they best define themselves to appeal to the most voters? >> let's be clear. let's talk about who's the ebs expert here. biden smoked trump by 150,000 votes and trump barely won pennsylvania in 2016, by about 45,000 votes and i have just won pennsylvania in '22, by hundreds of thousands of votes. i understand the kind of person that can win and resonate in pennsylvania, and that's of course the vice president harris, and absolutely it's governor walz as well, and i'm absolutely convinced that they are going to carry the day in pennsylvania. and honestly, regardless of who the vice president was chosen, she's still going to win pennsylvania. she absolutely can carry

pennsylvania, and i don't know why, you know, all of this intrigue about the vice president. it's two main people that are on this ticket, and that's trump and harris, and she is going to prevail on this. and it's going to be a close race, always said that, whether it was with biden or hillary clinton eight years ago, and i have been consistently been saying it's going to be close and competitive. harris has a great team, and now she filled 12,000 people in the house. the energy was crazy. there was anything but joy, and energy, and all of those things. i witnessed all of this. >> yeah. certainly that was the sense coming out of that rally last night. i've got one more question before we dip into what's happening in wisconsin. you were one of the most staunch supporters of president biden urging him to stay on the ticket. do you feel any bad blood for some of your fellow democrats who seem to push him towards the exit that landed us in this

position now with vice president harris at the top of the ticket? >> of course not. of course. we're all united. and regardless of who she picked, vice president, we're all united. any of those kinds of things. again, that rally in philadelphia was amazing. i mean, i just took on all the energy and the unity throughout all of this. and now look at what's happening on the screen right now in wisconsin, and they're bringing that all across the battle states as well. and now let's talk about if you want to try to pretend that we want to talk about anything other than vance on their side, and i can't wait for how long it will take them to ditch vance on that. >> that would certainly be a nile stone if trump ended up doing that. no sign of that yet. senator john fetterman, thank you for coming on, sharing your perspective about pennsylvania and the larger moment for democrats. i want to take you now to tim walz on the stage in eau claire,

wisconsin, talking about his background, continuing to introduce himself to voters. let's listen in. >> i brought all of that experience. [ cheering and applause ] okay. are there minnesotans in the house today? bringing that experience to tackling the challenges that were facing our state. we don't shy away from challenges. i'll tell you what, donald trump, he sees the world differently than we see it. he has no understanding of service. because he's too busy servicing himself. again and again and again. again and again and again. this guy weakens our country to strengthen his own hands. he mocks our laws.

he sows chaos and division amongst the people. and that's to say nothing of the job he did as president. he froze in the face of covid, and it cost people's lives. he drove the economy into the ground. and make no mistake about it. violent crime was up when donald trump was president. those of you who are a little older know this. older republicans used to talk about freedom. these guys today, it turns out that freedom to them, government should be free to invade the exam room with your doctor. [ booing ] look, we're pretty neighborly with wisconsin, we get our friendly battles but in minnesota just like in wisconsin, we respect our neighbors and the personal choices they make. [ cheering and applause ]

even if we wouldn't make the same choices for ourselves, because we know there's a golden rule, mind your own damn business. mind your own damn business. i don't need you telling me about our health care. i don't need you telling us who we love. and i sure the hell don't need you telling us what books we're going to read. [ cheering and applause ] and there's a very personal one for me. that includes ivf. some of you may have heard this. this is personal for my wife and i. when gwen and i decided to have children, we went through years of fertility treatments. the phone would bring, tenseness in my stomach, and then the agony when you heard the treatments hadn't worked. so it wasn't by chance that when we welcomed our first child, our

beautiful daughter, we named her hope. [ cheering and applause ] when vice president harris and i and everyone here talks about freedom, we mean the freedom to make your own health care decisions. and for all of our little ones to be free to go to school without worrying about being shot dead in their classroom. [ cheers and applause ] and just like wisconsin, over in minnesota, we believe in the second amendment, but we also believe in common sense gun violence laws. and just so you know, when i was in congress, i was the top gun at the trap shoot, three years in a row. i can out shoot them too.

i can out shoot these guys. look, freedom is when -- oop, can we get somebody to help. somebody's hot. >> somebody help her. >> somebody's hot. can we get somebody to help? you okay? drink some water, folks, it is hot out. thank you. can you get water. [ chanting they're so weird ] >> she's okay?

thank you all for helping. grateful. thank you. [ applause ] thank you all. take care of one another on this. this is why we gather. look, it's hot. it is hot. i'll come again, they've got folks here. we'll make sure we're okay, but i have to tell you all, again, in all seriousness, to come and gather like this to talk about our freedoms, the ability to talk about what could be good, and i have to say, this idea of caring for our neighbor and kindness and a hand up when somebody needs it, or just the sense that people go through things, and to be able to be there when they need it, that's who we are. it's not about mocking, it's not about name calling, we see it amongst them.

thank you, all. they do. thank you all. we're okay. we have someone down. they're treating him. they're getting him some water, and it's good. he's going to get up. you guys need some water too? we'll ask them. can you see if they have some more water. that would be great. take care of your neighbors. there we go. [ cheering and applause ]

there we go. >> we have been listening in to minnesota governor tim walz as he talks there. of course there's a hot day in eau claire, wisconsin, it is the summer. this is what happens at campaign rallies, sometimes. folks who have been standing outside for hours, waiting to see these candidates. what you're hearing from tim walz is get these folks water, take care of each other there, be there for your neighbor. the speech is back on track. we'll dip back in and hear what else he has to say. >> i'll tell you what a bilge part of this. we settle political differences not through violence, but through our votes. the question is pretty simple. this election is all about asking that question. which direction will this country go in. donald trump knows the direction he wants to take us. he wants to take us back. he wants to do the things you saw. don't believe him when he plays dumb.

he knows exactly what he's talking about. he knows exactly what project 2025 will do in restricting and taking our freedoms. he knows it rigs the economy for the super rich. if he gets a chance to go back to the white house, it will be far worse than it was four years ago. raising costs for the middle class, repeating the affordable care act, gutting social security and medicare, the safety nets that protect people when they're down. and of course banning abortions across this country with or without congress. this is where we talk to our neighbors. donald trump is not for you or your family. and trump's running mate shares those dangerous and backward beliefs. you know, just like all of us in regular america. we go to yale, and then we have our careers funded by silicon

valley millionaires and you write a book about the place you grew up and you trash that place. that is not who wisconsin is. that's not who minnesota is. we're better than that. we're better than that. one of the best parts of this job is going to be, i can't wait until the debate. [ cheering and applause ] look, i have done this enough, and i know bullies, and i'm not a name caller, but what i am is a teacher, i observe things. i want to tell you what i observed and you've observed about these guys when you see them that it's a very clear thing, yes, they are creepy and weird as hell, you see it. you see it. this is not normal. this is not normal behavior. nobody's asking for this crazy stuff. so i'll tell you what, you heard it from the vice president.

you've heard her talk about this. we're sure the hell not going back. we're not going back. we are not going back. we are not going back. [ chanting not going back ] >> we damn sure aren't, but it's even more than that. this is a campaign about where we're going, and that's a future where everyone matters, and everyone's included. [ applause ] kamala harris, she believes in the freedom to make your own choices. she believes in the opportunity for every single person to join the middle class and she believes in the promise of america. thank you, madame vice president, for the trust you've placed in me. wisconsin, please help me in giving a warm, midwest welcome

to the next president of the united states, kamala harris. ♪♪ ♪ freedom freedom i can't move ♪ ♪ freedom cut me loose ♪ ♪ freedom freedom where are you ♪ ♪ because i need freedom too ♪ ♪ my freedom hey i'm keep running ♪ ♪ i'm wade through the waters tell the tide don't move ♪

♪ i'm going to riot through your borders call me bullet proof ♪ ♪ >> good afternoon, wisconsin. good afternoon. oh, it's good to be back. good afternoon, everybody. can we hear it for tim walz? [ cheering and applause ] i'm so happy to be running with him. let me tell you. let me start by thanking your words, your leadership, your voice, it's so important, les, thank you for everything you are and everything you do for our country. and it is good to be with so many incredible leaders, including the most magnificent, wonderful governor tony evers.

every time i come to wisconsin, tony meets me on the tarmac. he's such an incredible human being. i want to thank secretary of state godlewski. chair of the democratic party, ben wikler, and my dear, dear friend, senator tammy baldwin. i served with tammy when i was in the united states senate, i'm going to tell you, she was always always always fighting for the people of this state, and in november, we are going to reelect her to the united states senate. and please give it up one more time for wisconsin's own bonny, it's a good afternoon.

it's a good afternoon. i want to bring greetings from our incredible president joe biden. he loves wisconsin. he loves wisconsin. and i know we are all deeply grateful for his lifetime of service to our nation and for all he continues to do. that's right. [ applause ] [ chanting thank you, joe ] that's right. i'm going to tell him what you said. so wisconsin, this has been a big week.

on monday i officially became the democratic nominee for president of the united states. [ cheering and applause ] and yesterday i announced my running mate in this campaign, governor tim walz. and as you just heard and the minnesotans here know, tim has an incredible record of governor of the great state of minnesota. and to those who know him best, tim is more than a governor. to his wife gwen, his a husband, to his kids, hope and gus, he is dad. to his fellow veterans, his sergeant major walz. to the people of southern

minnesota for 12 years he was a congressman. to his former high school students he was mr. walz. and to his former high school football players, he was coach. coach. [ chanting coach ] chanting coac] and in 90 days, the nation will know coach walz by a new title, vice president of the united states of america. f america. [ vp walz ] >> that's right. oh, it really is good to be back in wisconsin. so, listen, let me tell you, i

am clear, the path to the white house runs right through this state. and with your help, we will win in november. we are going to win. we are going to win. and i've been here many times, as you all know recently, and even before, and many of you know, then, before i was elected vice president, before i was elected united states senator, i was an elected attorney general and before that, an elected district attorney. and before that -- and before that, i was a courtroom prosecutor. so in those roles, i took on perpetrators. of all kinds. predators who abused women, fraudsters who ripped off

consumers, scammers who broke the rules for personal gain. so hear me when i say i know donald trump's type. i know his type. in fact, i've been dealing with people like him my whole career. for example, as attorney general of california, well, hold on, you know what, the courts are going to handle that part of it. what we're going to do is beat him in november. [ cheering and applause ] so i'll tell you, as attorney general i took on one of our country's largest for profit colleges that scams students, well, donald trump ran a for profit college that scammed students. as a prosecutor, i specialized in cases of sexual abuse.

well, donald trump was found liable for committing sexual abuse. as attorney general i held the big wall street banks accountable for fraud. well, donald trump was just found guilty of fraud. 34 counts. so in this campaign, i'll tell you, i will proudly put my record against his any day of the week. of the week any day of the week. but let's make no mistake, this campaign is not just about us versus donald trump, it's about two very different visions for our nation. two very different visions.

one for us focused on the future. the other, focused on the past. and wisconsin, we here, we fight for the future. we fight for a future where every worker has the freedom to join a union. union strong. >> union strong. [ chanting union strong ] >> we fight for a future where every senior can retire with dignity. a future where we build a broad-based economy, and one where every american has the opportunity to own a home, to start a business, to build wealth. and understand in this fight, as

tim walz likes to point out, we are joyful warriors. joyful warriors. because we know that while fighting for a brighter future may be hard work, hard work is good work. hard work is good work. and so we will continue to fight for affordable housing, for affordable health care, affordable child care and paid leave. we believe in a future where we lower the cost of living for america's families so that they have a chance, not just to get by, but to get ahead. because while our economy is doing well by many measures, prices for every day things like

groceries are still too high. you know it, and i know it. you know, when i was attorney general, went after price fixing schemes. and when i am president, it will be a day one priority to fight to bring down prices. i will take on big corporations that engage in illegal price gouging. i will take on corporate landlords that unfairly raise rents on working families. i will take on big pharma and cap the cost of prescription drugs for all americans. and continue to bring manufacturing jobs back to america. and back to communities like eau claire. so all of this is to say, strengthening our economy is building up the middle class will be a defining goal of my

presidency. because you see coach walz and i know when america's middle class is strong, america is strong. and as we work to move our nation forward, donald trump intends to take our nation backward. there's so much evidence of that point. there really is. but look at most recently, project 2025 and that agenda. project 2025, you know if you have some time to take a look at it, i'm telling you, it is a plan to weaken the middle class. it is a plan to weaken the middle class. if he is elected, donald trump intends to give tax breaks to billionaires and big

corporations. he intends to cut social security and medicare. he intends to surrender our fight against the climate crisis s he intends to end the affordable care act. and because we all remember what it was like before the affordable care act, we understand what that means. that's about taking us back to a time when insurance companies had the power to deny people with preexisting conditions. do you remember that? what that was like? we're not going back. [ chanting we are not going back ] >> we are not going back. but in order to know where we need to go, let's remember the past and what that was like because we cannot forget, on that point about the aca,

remember people with preexisting conditions being denied, children with asthma, breast cancer survivors, grandparents with diabetes, it was no joke. and we cannot go back. ours has to be a fight for the future and a fight for freedom. a fight for freedom across our nation, we have been witnessing a full on assault against hard fought, hard won freedoms, and rights. the freedom to vote, the freedom to be safe from gun violence, the freedom to breathe clean air and drink clean water. the freedom to love who you love openly and with pride. [ cheering and applause ] and the freedom of a woman to make decisions about her own body and not have her government telling her what to do. do

and let's remember the traditions of our great country. generations of americans before us led in the fight for freedom. and now then as they would expect, the baton is in our hands. the baton is in our hands. each and every one of us. so we, then, who believe in the sacred freedom to vote will finally pass the john lewis voting rights act and the freedom to vote act. we, who believe in the freedom to live safe from gun violence will finally pass universal background checks, red flag laws, and an assault weapons ban. we, who believe in reproductive freedom will fight for a woman's

right to choose. and we remember that when he was president, donald trump hand picked three members of the united states supreme court, the court of thurgood and rbg, because he intended for them to overturn roe v. wade. and as he intended, they did. [ crowd booing ] >> and now, more than 20 states in our country have a trump abortion ban. many with no exceptions even for rape and incest. and if he wins, we all know he will sign a national abortion ban to outlaw abortion in every state even in wisconsin. but we are not going to let that happen. because we trust women.

and when i am president of the united states and when congress passes a bill to restore the protections of roe v. wade, i will sign it into law. [ chanting kamala ] thank you, all. so listen, everyone took time out of your busy lives and days and all of your obligations to come out here and be together as one community. i know you did it also, we all know, so much is on the line in this election. it can't be said seriously enough. so much is on the line, and compounded with everything else that we knew was on the line. think about the fact that last month, the united states supreme

court basically told the former president who has been convicted of fraud that going forward he will be immune no matter what he does in the white house. think about what that means and the changed circumstances since 6/20 when you think about what that court decision means. donald trump has vowed if reelected he would be a dictator on day one. that he would round up peaceful protesters and throw them out of our country. and even, quote, terminate the united states constitution. so let us be clear, let us be clear, someone who suggests we should terminate the

constitution of the united states should never again have a chance to stand behind the seal of the president of the united states. so basically, i think it all comes down to this. we're all here because we love our country. we love our country. we love our country. and i do believe it is the highest form of patriotism to fight for the ideals of our country, and that's how we preserve the promise of america. after all, the promise of america is what makes it possible, by the way, for governor walz and me to stand on

this stage today. just think about it. two middle class kids, one a daughter of oakland, california, who was raised by a working mother and had a summer job at mcdonald's, the other a son of the nebraska plains who grew up working on a farm. think about that. only in america is it possible for them together to make it all the way together to the white house. only in america. only in america. so this is a fight to make real the promise of america for every person in our nation, and also i will tell you, and i promise you, our campaign is going to

reach out to everyone, from red states, from blue states, from the heartland to the coast. we are running a campaign on behalf of all americans and when elected we will govern on behalf of all americans. because coach walz and i know, and we're clear about this, unlike the other side, we work for you. we work for you, the american people, and we will always fight for you, for your family, for your freedoms and for your future. so, wisconsin, ultimately this election is about a question that we each face. we each face a question in this election and that is what kind of country do we want to live in? do we want to live in a country

of freedom? of compassion? of rule of law? or a country of chaos, fear and hate? and the beauty of our democracy is we each have the power individually and collectively, we each have the power. so in the next 90 days we need you to use your power, we need you to knock on doors, we need you to register folks to vote, we need you to energize and organize and mobilize and make your voices heard.

and i will tell you about an hour ago after i landed on air force two, i met a collection of young leaders from girl scout troop 3307. oh, they were spectacular. oh, they were spectacular, none of them taller than 3 feet. i mean, just, they were spectacular. and one of those young leaders had a shirt on that said "you are powerful and your voice matters." right? from the mouths of babes. they're telling us -- they're telling us. and so let's remember that. let's remember our power, let's remember our voice matters, and with that, then, i ask are you ready to make your voices heard? do we believe in freedom?

do we believe in opportunity? do we believe in the promise of america? and are we ready to fight for it? and when we fight, we win. god bless you, and god bless the united states of america. ♪♪ ♪♪ >> you were watching there vice president kamala harris leaving the stage after the first of their rallies today. there you see her with her newly minted running mate tim walz of minnesota. a perpetual hype man over these last two rallies that we've seen these two out on the campaign frame. the familiar sounds of beyonce's "freedom" playing them off the stage. to that end we have seen harris -- and i will bring in a panel to talk about it -- we've seen leverage try to leverage

this feeling of energy. the question is how do you make those feelings translate into hard votes? you heard her with that call to action there at the end. joining us now we have democratic strategist pollster and msnbc political analyst cornell belcher, former communications director for vice president kamala harris ashley at yen and a wisconsinite john nichols. cornell, in watching that rally the thing we've been talking about all show is this feeling of joy, of energy, of hope, but the fact of the matter is that this has always been a margin of error race, so how do you parlay rallies like these that we saw last night in philadelphia, in eau claire, wisconsin, later in michigan into grassroots votes on the ground corks cornell? >> there is no silver bullet, right? it's just doing the hard work. and it is, as, look, someone who has worked two presidential campaigns before in '08 and '12,

it is doing this day in, day out, all day, all evening, right? they've got thousands of these ahead of them and they've got to take this message of optimism and hope across the country and so americans all over the country can hear it, right? there is no silver bullet. they have to do this a thousand more times across several battleground states, taking this message of hope and optimism. look, it is a really important and stark contrast to hear them talk about the exceptionalism of america and the hope and promise of america, and talk about what they're going to do for them. you know, contrast that to trump rallies where it's dark, it's dire, america is failing, america is being invaded, and then it's about him and his grievance politics. i think it's a sharp contrast to -- between trump's vision of america and harris' vision of america. but there is no silver bullet, they have to do this all across the country, every day.

>> so stark contrast you talk about, cornell, make america great again versus we are not going back. ashley, you know this candidate so well at the top of the ticket, you were there for the first year of the administration, listening to the ways that her record might have been picked apart on things like the border, but i see the candidate on that stage rebranding her resumé, talking about her prosecutor's background. i mean, what's striking you as you watch this series of rallies across swing states? >> i mean, what strikes me is that that first year is no longer relevant because the kamala harris that's on stage now was not the kamala harris i worked for a year ago. she's fortified, knows who she is, knows her strengths. she knows the country better, she's found her voice, she's found an incredible partner not just in governing, but a great message partner, someone who is going to go out into these more conservative parts of the country, suburban america, rural america, and make the case directly to them. so it's incredible and very

exciting to see her really be so commanding and so self-assured about not just who she is, but where she wants to take this country. >> john, you know wisconsin, you also know the labor movement so well. i mean, this is a state in wisconsin with more than 200,000 union members. you also spoke with uaw president sean fien about walls even before he was picked. at the time fien called him a great labor guy. sounds good, but what does that mean and how that translate to voters in states where this is a big swath of voters that they have to appear to? >> reporter: well, we're in a uniontown today, i'm in eau claire, wisconsin, a historic rubber worker's town and it was notable at this rally that when kamala harris mentioned that

harris/walz administration would be focused on being able to collectively bargain that was one of the biggest applause of the day. they are getting a tremendous response. i have covered a lot of rallies going back to clinton and certainly obama. this rally out in a cornfield or on the edge of a cornfield in wisconsin with thousands of people cheering on kamala harris and tim walz suggests that the unions are getting people out as well as frankly a lot of other folks who might want to be in a union. >> john, thank you so much. usually i'm there doing that kind of a job. great job with all the noise around you. cornell, a closing thought. they talk about tim walz and the work that he has done in minnesota as a sort of minnesota miracle from a union perspective, but is that enough to combat trump's populist appeal with these voters who now both campaigns are actively competing for? >> well, you know, when you say

populist appeal you mean his appeals to tribalism? look, i think if there is an economic populism here it's clearly on the side of governor walz and these attacks, i love attacks that they're trying to level at him at being a liberal. he is a liberal because he passed family paid medical leave and sick leave. last time i checked with research, you know, two-thirds of american support that. so many of the things that they are attacking him on for being liberal about are things that working families and working americans largely support and they want more of. >> and, cornell, if it were any other moment i would stay here and talk about paid leave all day because it is an immensely popular policy, one we talked about a lot on capitol hill. during the build back better era by became the bipartisan infrastructure bill but of course i have to leave it here because it is right near 4:00 and that is it for me today. guys, thank you for joining us and "deadline: white house" starts right now. ♪♪