good evening and welcome to politics nation. too close to call. we have three weeks until election day, 2024 and this evening we start with breaking news, both kamala harris and donald trump are on the campaign trail in a pair of key states. the vice president is on stage right now in north carolina. let's listen for a moment. >> i care about fixing problems and as president of the united states a will be focused each and every day on solving problems that affect you and

your family. so, north carolina, it all comes down to this we are here together this sunday afternoon because we know what is at stake. we are here together this sunday afternoon because we love our country. we love our country yes. >> we will continue to follow this love event and keep you updated if the vice president makes any news. >> meanwhile, donald trump is set to take the stage any minute for his rally in arizona we begin with the view from the harris campaign with less than 23 days to go.

joining me now is michael tyler, communications director for the harris campaign, 2024. mr. tyler, thank you for joining us tonight let's start with the latest polling today from nbc news. it shows the vice president and donald trump in a dead heat at 48%. last month harris was leading our poll by five percentage points all of this remains inside the margin of error and it also shows voters consider vice president harris as the candidate who best represents change what you make of all of that three weeks before election day? >> thank you so much for having me, what i make of this is what we've always known to be true is going to be a margin of error rays down until november 5th you have a very polarized election you have more and more voters beginning to tune in and you have even small voters who

have not made up their minds. for us as a campaign down the final stretch it's about using every tool that we have to reach those voters that are going to ultimately decide the pathway. it means the vice president being aggressive out on the stump as she is today it means this campaign continuing to run ads it means us knocking on doors making phone calls making sure that we are reaching those voters who have not been paying attention to the presidential race but really now in the month of october or beginning to tune in. we speak to the issues who's fighting for the middle class making sure we are communicating that day in and day out. there is one candidate in this race was actually focus on the american people in providing solutions for them and their problems it is the vice president. a man who is out here everything with a when he is not hearing his own personal grievances is talking about things like what you heard from him this morning he has been

willing to use the police or the national guard or even the military to go after the political opponents. they need to make sure that they understand them down the stretch and of course the final 23 days. they have talked about violence with law enforcement but the candidates are both in swing states tonight donald trump is set to take the stage any minute for his arizona rally meanwhile the vice president just wrapped up a campaign rally in north carolina where she has held several events this weekend. we also saw from president trump are rallying in the heavily democratic state of california last night and he has a rally scheduled in new york city later this month. how are they going about these last 23 days differently? >> i certainly can't speak to

trump's strategy i know this campaign is going to be focused on the 270 electoral votes. it's why she is in north carolina today it's why we're headed to detroit on tuesday tomorrow we are going to make sure across the southwest in the southeast we are doing everything that we possibly can to reach those voters so for us it is about making sure that we maintain an aggressive posture it's also about making sure we scale up the grassroots operation frankly there is a role for everybody here. where telling people right now 23 days out every week and that you got go to, laharris.com not only just to donate but to volunteer, send some text to your friends and family to make sure they have a plan to vote so we can focus on getting out

those last few voters come out november 5th it is all hands on deck. >> is the vice president assesses hurricane damage in north carolina today president biden was in florida touring damage done to that state by this month. some voter advocates worry that the aftermath of helton and helene made the press voter turnout and impeding access in states like florida, georgia, and north carolina. house the campaign responding to this situation? >> we are paying a lot of close attention making sure that we are in contact with our organizers on the ground that they are making sure that people particularly mr. north carolina that while they rebuild it is the primary focus making sure that people are able to exercise their constitutional right to vote. that is going to be a significant part of our efforts

here another thing as it relates to this storm and the rebuilding efforts i think it is a contrast of leadership styles you have the vice president focused on the people focused on the federal response making sure that all of the federal agents are working in coordination so that everybody that's been affected by the hurricanes get the relief aid that they are entitled to. on the other side you have donald trump, people who knew him best and the people who worked under him are telling the american people that when folks similarly had to deal with natural disasters they would have to show him polling data and order to convince him that people were worthy of getting the aid that they were entitled to so is the american people are making their decision it is clear there is one candidate in this race that is going to be a president for all americans and there is one president who cares solely about himself and that is

donald trump it is very important that people understand that here over the last three weeks. >> democrats are concerned about black voters turning out for the vice president. black support for the vice president at 78% compared with the 90% about president biden four years ago doubling black support from eight years ago the campaign lost its soles to the polls initiative today. driving turnout using the church as a base and the vice president spoke earlier at greenville north carolina in a church one of the many she is expected to appear as part of an effort, what else can you tell us? >> you mention the polling there is also the cvs polling

today that's exactly where it was for president biden at this point in 2020 before he went on to win. we're frankly not focus on the polling as a vice president her self will say she is not taking any vote for granted. she's going to earn every single vote. that's why she continues to be out in communities like greenville. making sure that black voters understand mistakes of the selection and there's one candidate actually looking out for their interests and wants to improve our communities across the country. somebody who understands that black men in particular always aim to be strivers in and to open up small businesses and be entrepreneurs. we are proud of the work the administration has done cutting black child poverty enough but for the vice president that is the floor not the ceiling. everything she's talking about is what is possible moving

forward. we already know the type of president donald trump was for black america and by the end of his term for black folks we would see the chaotic vision that he has as the project 2025 agenda would rip away things like the $35 a month insulin cap would provide blanket immunity for police we see the harm that he would cause for black folks across the country but this campaign is leaving no stone unturned. we are going to make sure we are out on the stump engaging across communities day in and day out for the next few weeks there's too much at stake for all americans but to black americans in particular. >> before i let you go i want to talk about the response to the escalating situation in the middle east. the u.s. has approved the deployment of personnel and

antimissile weapons to protect against strikes from iran. also earlier today more than 60 israelis were injured following a drone strike in northern israel five people are in critical condition earlier this week we learned that trump's own chief of staff himself considers trump to be, quote, the most dangerous person in this country. this is according to a book by washington post reporter, how does there is campaign make the case on national security in the final days of this campaign? >> i think you should look to no one further than the people who knew donald trump best when it comes to national security >> saying that he does not have the mental acuity nor the fitness you've heard from people like esper and others the people were in the

situation room with president trump saying this is a man who has neither the temperament nor the judgment to manage national global issues. there is one candidate in this race who has the character in the temperament and the judgment to serve as commander- in-chief that is vice president harris, the other thing that he was talking about was mental acuity. i think it's curious why donald trump still has refused to release his medical records. she thinks it's important that we be transparent here and release our medical records. donald trump still refuses to do so saying crazy things about american citizens being the enemy from within while we see him ducking and dodging mainstream media interviews he dodged the second debate we don't really see him all that much except when he is at the rallies where he says all of this crazy nonsense. he remains an important point

for people to understand what exactly he is hiding here. >> you give me the impression that you don't believe his last report that he is only 230 pounds and going to live to 200 years old, thank you for being with us the harris campaign communications director joining me now is former congresswoman debbie was also the democratic candidate thank you for joining me today. the death toll, let's start there from hurricane milton has arisen to 24. earlier this afternoon president joe biden went to florida to survey hurricane damage and recovery efforts following hurricanes milton and helene, he visited to saint pete beach where he got a briefing from first responders, he also announced new funding for communities ravaged by the

storms. take a listen. >> today i am proud to announce $612 million in six new cutting edge of projects for support communities. this funding will not only restore power but will make the region's power system stronger and more capable and reduce the frequency of power outages while extreme weather events become more frequent. >> what are your thoughts on the presidents a visit today? >> i have been traveling all across the state i was in wellington an area that was affected by tornadoes on friday yesterday i was in fort myers. president biden give me a call this morning as i was trying to get to tampa and i thanked him for coming to the state of florida to show floridians and also the entire country that we

need to work together when we are faced with these devastating storms and natural disasters. i think that this is a moment where we really need to pay attention on the leadership that we have in this state. we have to make sure that we have politicians that are able to put politics aside and work together in a coordinated effort global officials, state officials and federal officials and we have not had that in the state of florida. the person that i'm running against has been spreading disinformation about fema funding which is extremely dangerous and it puts the lives of many survivors at risk. the families that i have spoken to it is heartbreaking to listen to them some of them don't even a property insurance they don't know how they are going to be able to get back up on their feet. i had to tell them that fema is there specially to support them and give them the disaster relief and they are confused.

he is one of the biggest frauds we have in the united states senate, this is a moment that i have become extremely frustrated with the fact that he is not being truthful with floridians, we need to make sure that we rebuild with resiliency that we are truthful to florida homeowners that they may lose everything again. and no, this is what, fema is the one on the ground dealing with this issue and for many florida homeowners, the impact of the storms is potentially life-changing. most home insurance policies don't cover flooding. according to an nbc news analysis, only about a quarter of effective florida residents

have separate flood insurance, is there a role for congress to play in helping those who have potentially lost their homes without any compensation and what are your thoughts on republican speaker mike johnson's decision not to call it back into session to address hurricane aid? >> it's completely irresponsible they need to go back we know from the secretary that she has enough right now for the disasters that we have experienced that we may need to prepare for the next disaster it is irresponsible that they are completely abandoning name -- their post all for politics. they have yet to recover completely from hurricane ian and he had actually purchased flood insurance but in that insurance policy he realized

now that storm surge was not included, we need to make sure that insurance companies are not taking advantage of policyholders but also we have to have that conversation in a bipartisan fashion to ensure that we expand the national flood insurance risk we have politicians that are using this for self gain. >> the request was to extended by 10 days due to disruptions caused by these recent hurricanes. illegal voters filed a lawsuit arguing that the damaging effects from the hurricanes are preventing many residents from registering before tomorrow's deadline how concerned are you about these storms possible

effect on people's ability to vote on the upcoming election. >> we have families here who have lost everything. we have lost loved ones because of these storms. the last thing anyone is thinking about is registering to vote that's why we were asking for that extension i made the call for the supervisor of elections. the reality is the republicans here are very concerned people are mobilizing, they are angry and frustrated by the fact that they have done nothing to deal with the impacts of climate change. they have done nothing to deal with the insurance that the crisis that we have they have nothing left in no insurance policies, that's why i need to defeat rick scott. debbie, i need everyone with me, i am on a statistical tie

right now. let me ask you about the senate rate, you mentioned your senate rate your currently running against republican incumbents you mentioned former president obama endorsed you it could decide where the democrats hold on to the senate or it flips to republicans. what is your sense of where things stand in florida right now? >> i can tell you that we are tied. poll after poll is showing me within one or two points there was one outlier poll that shows me that shows scott much more ahead, i have been traveling the state for a year this is a state that is a swing state, it is a purple state. people here are really working to make sure that we get florida on the right track. i have been overwhelmed by the

support. republicans were coming to my event just say we need good leadership but only if people come out and vote and only if you contribute and help me in this campaign debbie for florida and let me just say it's one more thing that i needed to make sure that we get it over the line. >> powell candidate for the senate in the state of florida thank you for being with us, before we go to break, donald trump is speaking now at a rally in prescott arizona we will listen in and keep you posted here on msnbc at msnbc.com if he makes any moves. still to come, remember those

bibles trump endorsed? the one featuring the bill of rights and the constitution? well turns out they are printed in china. governor tim walz has some thoughts on that this week. take a listen. >> this dude even outsourced god to china just so we know. >> i'm going to try and be generous here i don't blame him, he didn't notice the made in china sticker because they put it inside, a place he has never looked in the bible. started coming up, i have a challenge for former president trump, it's time to put his money where his mouth is. that is next in this week's gotcha.

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this week, republican superintendent of schools backed off a controversial

demand that the state's public schools by tens of thousands of copies of a very specific kind of bible. the superintendent stipulated these bibles must not only contain the holy texts but also the declaration of independence and the constitution and the book must be bound in leather or a leather -like material for durability. most widely available bibles don't match this description but one that does is a former president trump's god bless the usa bible available online for a whopping price of $59 and $.99, nearly three times the cost of a typical bible. the public school should be flooded with bibles is a debate for another day but it's very difficult to justify why

taxpayers should have to foot the bill for this particular version, that is because of another story this week. an associated press investigation found the bibles endorsed by former president trump who claimed to put america first were printed in china. what's worse is that each bible cost less than three dollars to make, that's three bucks in production costs for a book that they are selling for nearly $60, the trump campaign did not respond to this, according to the story the makers of the trump backed bible stands to make millions. is a christian and a preacher, it deeply disturbs me to see someone try to profit off of the word of god but i also believe in the power of the good book and opportunities for

redemption. former president trump has tried to betray himself during this campaign as a changed man perhaps for the first time. i call on him to seize this moment and donate 55,000 of his beloved bibles. more than $3 million worth to the good people of oklahoma free of charge. i would even help him deliver them myself. the ball is in your court, mr. trump. it's in your court and oh yeah, i gotcha. digestive system every day. plus, they're packaged in individually-wrapped pouches, for daily digestive support on the go. look for new align yogurt coated probiotic fruit bites online and in the digestive care aisle of your local retailer.

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harris leading by five points after the september debate. now an independent podcast host. what is your take on the recent nbc poll? could be pierced be losing momentum or is this simply a statistic the very close race in the debates. >> this is always going to be close, this is a divided and polarized nation and i think when you open up the hood on these poles and the holsters behind them we also see a few different factors. certainly at 16 and 20 they

dramatically underestimated donald trump support. there is a chance that they have overcorrected in the opposite direction. let's also not forget that this is the first time donald trump is on the ballot in a ruling environment, this is the first time donald trump is on the ballot when he is facing a political opponent to represent a younger generation. those dynamics are at play, this will be close until election day. the democrats know that, the republicans know that and it's absolutely imperative that the harris campaign runs right through the finish line in all of the supporters do the same. >> when the supporters were asked who would be better on certain issues, trump had a big advantage on immigration and the border and now it's gotten bigger on the other hand, vice president harris is still considered to be the candidate that best represents change.

what you think would be the most important to voters to cast their ballots? >> immigration is huge. i have been in the battleground states every single one of them talking to republicans and independents part of republicans for harris and i can tell you, max is right, and '16 and '20, we underestimated the trump vote. i have been blown away by the number of republicans who have told me they are with trump, i mean there with harris they are going to vote for harris they are just not going to say that publicly. i don't think the poll numbers are picking up this republican independent enthusiasm for harris but look, max is also

right this is a divided nation. donald trump is eminently unfit to be president. is the selection is about trump, he loses, she has still got 22 days i want to see more righteous anger i want to see kamala harris tell and show the american people how unfit donald trump is all the way through the tape. >> last night trump held the rally in california, the former president is also taking his act to madison square garden. what is this about, why do you think he is holding these massive rallies in heavily democratic states in the election? >> there is only three possibilities here, trying to influence a congressional institute he is playing to national media at a time where all politics are national rather than local and he could

just be plain arrogant and stupid, i believe that all three of these are the causes for these really erratic weird decisions. we should focus again on what he is saying at these rallies, this anger, this meanness, this crazy talk and what is so important here is that people are not voting for him because of what he says at these rallies, they are voting for him despite what he says so that is why these last few weeks are imperative we should note how insane donald trump is but we should also note that it was that insanity that led to a decline in manufacturing jobs while he was president, it was that insanity that led to the handling of the pandemic and it was that insanity that led to him passing on an economy that was at its worst since the

great depression to the biden administration. >> trump was once again talking about mass deportations and had this to say to a heckler in the crowd. >> this election is your chance to send a message. back home to mommy, she goes back home to mommy, was that you ? her mother is a big fan of ours, you know that, right? you always have that. >> just the latest example of the dark tone trump has taken during the final stretch of this campaign. what you make of this? >> he thinks you can win this way, let's be clear.

kamala harris is appealing to our better angels, donald trump is appealing to our prime real -- primal fears. he believes that the quality will sell and this intolerance and meanness will work with most americans. we have to reject this, he is the voice of hate. >> thank you both for coming on, coming up vice president harris is gaining more support from black voters than president biden did but it may not be enough to help sway the results in some swing states. how black business leaders are stepping in to help after the break. shopify.

welcome back to politics nation, the harris team and democrats are trying to show up black supporters a nonpartisan group of black business leaders and advocates is about to engage 700,000 black voters focusing on unengaged joining me now is phillips, co-chair of the alliance, thanks for being with us tonight.

nearly 1 million black men ahead of the election and it is an all hands approach with tv townhall, you have an operation already going on to the 700,000 black men you intend to reach who are unengaged by the stakes of this election. how will this campaign speak to them in a way that hasn't happened yet? >> the alliance was formed in 2017, there were only two senators in the room. so this was my new focus for her she has been focus on black men for a long time, i have known her since 2003 i was living out there and she did some things to help black men as well. i will say she has been doing her homework. i think what we are going to do

is make sure they understand her policies. three things came out of the polling data. they want more detail in economic policy and by the way their 82 pages on our website right now. we can talk about that. some of them thought they were doing better under trump, they want to understand that better and why did it happen, those are things we are going to be talking about. and all of the channels that you miss, you just mention we're going to be blasting it out around the country particularly in the seven states. >> staying with all hands approach how is the black economic alliance working with other black leaders and groups as you get this out? i know you've been working with us, how is this going to work to get information out because the economic message, one who is admired and respected in new

york the black businessmen who said, let's just tell the economic facts, how are we getting this out? >> we are working through all of our partners. many other organizations we share it with whoever wants to consume it and get it out as many channels as we can. we try to explain, you didn't cause covid but his response to it is spending the $1 trillion, that is part of inflation. that and start hunter biden or harris, it is accelerated because it takes time to go through the system. and so going forward forget what happened in covid, we can

fix that without the policies going ahead and tomorrow you will see a lot of detail that will specifically help black men for starting a business, the detail which trump is talked about, i think most people hear that it starts to resonate. this is not new. >> we just fill with tears munication's director michael tyler, her campaign is trying to grow black turnout, the new york times, 15% of black voters likely voting for trump and last week, barack obama, do you think blackman will find that argument persuasive? i think that it was overblown i think that to challenge black men is not to chastise them, how do you think this landing?

>> i think there is an upside to the conversation in the sense that blackman will acknowledgment. many different messages, they didn't think the democratic party was as focus on black men as it should've been. if nothing else, the last 10 days will show that we care about you, she's been listening she's going to come up with things specific, she's going to go on the tour. a lot of things were happening as well. i think she can earn that vote once there listening. that is the key here. >> many thanks for being with us. next, my final thoughts, stay with us.

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today we learned of the death of lily, she died peacefully last night at the

age of 86. she became an outspoken advocate for pay equity and women's rights. it led to the better fair pay act signed into law in 2009, as we deal with the economic issues around this campaign and have a woman that is running and others in our history even more important because where we are now as we are standing at the fork of the road where we continue to go down the path of equity for women equity for blacks and others of color equity which will be dealt with in a way that people can take care of their families or will we go down the road of terror that will cause major inflation in tax cuts for the wealthy and corporate tax cuts down and read the 1% becomes zillion

eras and people that only want a fair shot become reduced and called names. that is the choice i keep saying it's not whose side you are on, trump or harris, it's who is on your side. we will be right back. subject 3: goodness! my daughter is being treated for leukemia. i hope that she lives a long, great, happy life and that she will never forget how mom and daddy love her. st. jude, i mean, this is what's keeping my baby girl alive. announcer: you can join the battle to save lives by supporting st. jude children's research

hospital. for just $19 a month, you'll help us continue the lifesaving research and treatment these kids need-- now and in the future. subject 4: cancer makes me feel angry. not in the feel on the outside, just the inside i'm angry at it. subject 5: when your kid is hurting and there's nothing you can do about it, that's the worst feeling in the world. announcer: 1 in 5 children diagnosed with cancer in the us will not survive. subject 6: those that donate to st. jude, i hope that you will continue to give. they have done so much for me and my family. announcer: join with your debit or credit card now, and we'll send you this st. jude t-shirt that you can proudly wear. [speaking spanish]

subject 7: are you ready to go have some fun? subject 8: yeah! subject 7: yay! subject 9: when we came here, we didn't know what tomorrow would hold. st. jude showed us that tomorrow there's hope for our little girl to survive. announcer: let's cure childhood cancer together. please donate now. [clears throat] sounds like you need to vaporize that sore throat. vapocool drops? it's sore throat relief with a rush of vicks vapors. ♪ vapocooooool ♪ whoa. vaporize sore throat pain with vicks vapocool drops.

that does it for me, thanks for watching. i'll see you back here next weekend, but first i'll be a panelist tomorrow on morning joe, starting at 6:00 a.m. right here on msnbc. right now is the sunday show with jonathan capehart. dead heat, kamala harris and donald trump ramp up their messaging on the campaign trail as the new nbc news poll shows them tied. mark murray