that does it for "the weekend" this saturday morning. we will see you back here next weekend, where elizabeth warren and michael cohen will be joining us. be sure to follow us on social media at "the weekend." treatment also, tune in tomorrow when vice president kamala harris sits down for what will be an exclusive interview with the great reverend al sharpton at 5:00 p.m. eastern sunday, right here on msnbc. it is still michael's birthday. "velshi" continues our coverage, live from arizona. ali, turned to the side so they can see the patches. what is going on? >> this is my working man's hat . i am in arizona, it is raining. as we speak, and about half an hour, the sun will be beating down on my bald head, this is what you got to do in arizona. >> the navajo police patch or the jacket, we watched you the

entire commercial break. how do we get this jacket? >> well, thank you very much and i hope we live up to the cost a lot we do the show. have you guys yourselves a good afternoon, and "velshi" starts now. good morning. it is saturday, october 19th. there are 17 days remaining in this year's extremely close an important presidential race, a contest that will likely be decided in seven swing states and i am in one of those swing states this weekend. arizona, where joe biden won the race over donald trump by fewer than 11,000 votes in 2020. it was biden's narrowest margin of victory that you're in terms of votes, also the closest presidential race in arizona history, a state that has largely been a republican stronghold for the past 70 years. this year's election is almost certain to be just as competitive.

nbc news's latest national polls shows there are a two way race. they are locked in a dead heat nationally, both candidates received 48% of support among those surveyed, which includes registered voters from all over the country. a closer look at the presidential contest right here in arizona shows a similarly tight race. in the "wall street journal"'s latest poll of swing states, harris has a slight two point lead over trump among registered voters in arizona, but a similar poll conducted by the "new york times" and siena college, shows trump with a five-point lead among likely voters in the state. those polls are all within the margin of error. the bottom line is the presidential race here in arizona is still very much a toss up with election day fast approaching, both campaigns have been focusing efforts on the swing states and the candidates and targets have been spending a lot of time on the ground in those places. kamala harris made multiple stops across michigan yesterday. today, she will appear at an event in detroit that will kick off the start of early in- present voting.

her republican opponent was in the air yesterday as well. donald trump had a rally last night, a city that is likely to play a deciding role in who wins michigan this year. also he said he despairs to do an event in detroit recently, which upset many residents. back in arizona, thousands showed up for an event featuring barack obama, who remains one of the most powerful democrats in the country. last night, he held a rally in tucson and today, he will appear at another event in las vegas to help get out the vote. the harris campaign has tapped the former president to reach out to young voters and men of color, two demographics that have shown lower level of enthusiasm and engagement with this year's election. during a speech last night, obama addressed those groups of voters directly, while criticizing donald trump's character. >> when he calls fellow citizens berman, or the enemy within, people make excuses for it. i've noticed this

especially with some men who think trump's behavior, the bullying, putting people down, acting all, you know, pretend tough guy, somehow that is a sign of strength. i am here to tell you, that is not what real strength is, never has been. >> trump's erratic behavior and unhinged comments in recent days have her nude concerns about his fitness for office. during a town hall this week that featured an audience exclusively of women, he displayed a lack of knowledge when asked about the supreme court of roe v. wade. in a bizarre and incompetence of the moment during an interview with fox news yesterday, he questioned why abraham lincoln did not simply settle the civil war, which i means letting the confederacy keep some people enslaved. the most we are episode was undoubtedly trump's impromptu

often awkward, dance party. at some point, he stopped taking questions and decided to spend nearly 40 minutes swaying and clapping to the music on stage. that was weird. but he is also dangerous. trump's range and narcissistic behavior can distract from the fact that he is in fact a serious threat to democracy. the backdrop to his awkward dance party featured a digital screen that wrote quote, trump was right about everything. that might seem like an innocuous race, typical trump bluster. as ruth points out, it mimics the dictatorship of mussolini when he was in power, his was mussolini is always right. that is the kind of language italian dictator used to suppress free thought and enforce the idea that his word was in fact the law of the land . perhaps if it was another presidential candidate, you could dismiss the phrase as a coincidence. trump has been speaking more and more like some of history's most infamous authoritarians.

in the recent past, the republican nominee has referred to immigrants as berman, and accused him of quote, poisoning the blood of the country. it is a file term and racist phrase that adolf hitler used against the jews during his reign in germany. he has also been using dehumanizing language to talk about his opponent, reminiscent of the way still and stuff spoke of his enemies. trump spoke of democrats as the enemies from within and radical left lunatics. he has gone as far to suggest you use the united states military to go after his enemies and shut down any opposition against him. trump is using dangerous language that has the connections to fascist periods in history during the article on a few weeks of a very important presidential election . instead of moderating his tone to appeal to the broadest group possible, he is heightening his rhetoric

because the extremism is the point. this appears to be a strategy. while it remains to be seen if it will lead to success, some people within his own party have long had enough. joining me now is republican mayor of mesa, arizona, john giles, chair of the immigration task force for the united states conference of mayors and the mayors alliance to win childhood hunger. also joining us is republican congressman from illinois, joe walsh, former republican 2012 presidential candidate, host of joe walsh, author of the book, "f silence." thank you for joining me. this is one of those arizona mornings where it is warming, it will be boiling hot in a day or two. you are both republicans and you are both supporting kamala harris in this election. mayor giles, in a statement state like this, this is going to be critical. this is still a close state and this could decide the presidential election. >> no question. i think whoever wins arizona, much like pennsylvania, will be the

ultimate victory. it will be very close in arizona . we will be talking a lot about arizona beginning on election day and probably two or three days after because it will be a huge voter turnout. this is a big mail and state. a lot of people will show up on election day, bringing in their mail-in ballots. that will take a lot of pressure on the system that will take two or three days to get it out there. >> i was just going to say, this is unprecedented in american history. we have never seen an organized movement in one political party opposing their nominee and actively supporting the other party's nominee. i have seen it in every battleground state i have to. i don't think the polls are picking it up. when i go into arizona or pennsylvania, i have so many local republicans who come up to me and said, joe, i am with her, i'm going to vote for her, i just can't say anything publicly.

i am hearing that everywhere. >> what you do is you create a permission structure for republicans. i spoke to a number of republicans that we will go to later. people are saying, it is okay, you can be republican, conservative, but you are still participating in the process, which in a state like arizona is important to voters. >> absolutely. i have those conversations every day, in the grocery store, the gym, people i have known my whole life walk up and say, they want to whisper. because still, people go, and i have to give people permission to say, it is okay to disagree about politics. it is okay when your party is at the top of the ticket has somebody that is objectionable. it is okay to zigzag around. that is the history of arizona. >> my god, ali, look at the lead of your show. donald trump is running to be a dictator. it is so wild, though. >> i would think in the last few weeks of a close race, because you have actually ran for president before, you would want more votes. >> he believes this will

succeed. i think we misinterpret him that he is just appealing to his space. he is trying to scare the hell out of the american people. he is appealing to our ugliest, darkest fears. fear is a great motivator. >> it is. certainly in this state. i don't live in a swing state, i was in the car last night and every ad is a political ad. there is certainly an element of fear. this is a state that has real things to deal with as it relates to war. you are an actual war state. people in the state have strong feelings about it. there were efforts to try to fix the border. that is one of the biggest motivators donald trump is doing. it is not just the war, he is uttering everybody. >> you are right, it is a big issue in arizona, also a place that should ring very hollow. we have a third of our population is hispanic. i think as the latino vote goes in arizona, so will the outcome of the election. the racism, the anti-immigrant

speech really should read very hollow here. hopefully, that is what will happen november 5th. >> what we think about he just keeps heeding it up? donald trump keeps saying more and more extremists things. at some point, it crosses the line, not about what you like, it is to the point where, do we govern like this, do we like this? how do you talk to republicans saying, it is just trump being trump? >> it is scary. most republicans do not want this. there is a sense, ali, when i go into a state, we are better than he thinks we are. i was in michigan a couple of weeks ago with a bunch of republicans, and they were really depressed about where this race is at. and what he was saying. i said, you are better than what trump thinks you are. that is what he is talking about. that is not who you are.

>> i had a point here we will enter it later, she was saying the same thing to me, why are you still a republican staying a republican? and she said, i will get good republicans back into the game. those republicans who don't represent who we are, you are not representing us. this is a state that has a very long and proud history of republicanism dialogue, but respectful dialogue and debate. >> trump, for some reason, has always been the teflon exception to that sentiment. we can call bs on who is a real republican, who is not in arizona pretty well. that is the john kerry tradition. terry lake will not do well on election day. she does not come across as genuine to arizona republicans. donald trump, for some reason nationally and in arizona has never, despite everything he is doing and saying, for some reason-- maybe because he is at the top of the ticket, a little

too far reach for some lifelong republicans to get across. >> he is a threat to democracy. that is why john and i are doing what we are doing. republicans want our same party back. that pragmatic, you will not get it if he wins. he needs to lose. that is why you need more accountability. >> so you can claim your party back. we have all had this discussion before. for my viewers, help me understand, what does success look like for you as a republican? is it donald trump losing, you somehow getting your party back with the people like you, or something else? >> i think that is the most optimistic view. in some ways, i think this might be a lost cause. literally, donald trump has ruined the republican party for good. it will take an election cycle or two of having a third party to ultimately get back to two strong parties. right now, i think the best case scenario is, donald trump loses. in arizona, republicans have been losing in the general election for the last couple of cycles now. you would think we would have

learned. we've got to hit bottom. donald trump, for the mainstream republican party me people have got to realize, that is not our future we need to broaden the tent again and have something other than backup points of view in our party. >> i don't know that that party is ever coming back. she needs to win. then, i think you may see a movement developed into a brand- new political party. >> then, that could be a discussion. what represents us, it could be a new beginning. i am sure there are people watching us who are enjoying the state the republican party is in, but it is not good for politics to have one major party working and one that is broken. >> it is not. democrats used to disagree, but actually respect the republican party, because they made good points and you could borrow some ideas from the republican party. any more, that is just not the case and not healthy for our country. >> and it is not healthy having one political party fully antidemocracy now.

this is an authoritarian embracing movement. that has got to frighten every american. >> does that land with people? some will say, that he says extreme things. he jokes about things that should not be a joke in politics . >> i think, not helping with the expected reaction because people are dismissive. every conversation with my republican friends, people say, yeah, he is an idiot, but he is not the party. i don't like what he says, his personality, but don't confuse the flawed man with the republican party. you've got to say, no, guys, you don't get it. there is no republican party, he has come in and cut everything out as far as policy goes. it will take people while to realize that donald trump is not just a exception, he is who the party is right now. >> and allie, you know resonates, one of these two candidates will lose in two weeks, and only one of these

candidates when they lose will accept the loss, kamala harris would. he would not accept any loss. that is a direct threat appears >> the woman who left as governor last time has not accepted her loss and is running for senator. thanks to both of you for being here. great to meet you in-person, great to see you, my friend. mesa, arizona, former republican congressman joe walsh of illinois. coming up, arizona's secretary of state errors adrian fontes joins me. we were here two years ago and four years ago, meeting and talking to a divorce diverse group of voters had one of the most important elections in american history. now i am back, talking to some of the same boat as max, bearing witness to the surprising factors motivating them this time around. we will have my great conversation with them ahead. donald trump decided to turn a

townhall into an extended, impromptu dance party. his predecessor thought so too. >> how about this, we will play "ymca," and then we will go home. let's go, nice and loud. >> here we go, everybody. >> keep going, should we keep going? turn that music up, turn it up. great song. >> the point of a townhall meeting is to take questions. he just decided you know what, i'm going to stop taking questions, and then, he is swaying to "ymca" for about

half an hour, folks are standing there, not sure what is happening. can you imagine if i did that? can you imagine if reuven did that right in the middle? now, our playlist would probably be better. no. i can do some research. ya know, that's backed by j.p. morgan's leading strategists like us. when you want to invest with more confidence... the answer is j.p. morgan wealth management

all right, this morning i am joining you from beautiful, phoenix, arizona. the last time i was here, speaking with voters and state officials, it was a few days before the 2022 midterms, about several high-stakes races, the first set of racial 2020 and the big set live. there were a number of candidates across the country, specifically here in arizona who continually claim the arizona 2020 election was illegitimate to me that joe biden was not the rightful winner. for the most part, the

truth tellers prevail. democrats in arizona won races for governor, secretary of state, and attorney general and the democratic candidate for u.s. senate, mark kelly, won the election. that wave of success was a clear sign of pushback by voters who watched the far right so doubt in our election for 2 years, which remains among the minds across the country and again in arizona. phoenix is in maricopa county. you may recall, maricopa was the epicenter for a ton of the misinformation and disinformation surrounding the election in 2022 and in 2020. donald trump claimed the presidential election in maricopa county was stolen in 2020. republicans in the state called for a hand recount of the county's 2.1 million votes, the recount that was widely characterized as a sham. the review found no widespread voter fraud and confirmed that joe biden had in fact won the state. according to the brookings

institute, elections in arizona are often determined by the voters in this county, maricopa county and it's more than 2 million voters. voters in this county make up 59% of the registered voters in the entire state. some of the key races on arizona's violet this year include the state's nine congressional seats up for grabs for the u.s. senate race between the democratic congressman ruben gallego, and republican carrie lake. you will remember carrie lake, the vocal election denier who lost the governor's race in 2022. a race in which she still has not conceded. and of course, there is the presidential contest between vice president kamala harris and donald trump. arizona and its 11 electoral votes have the power to swing the results of this presidential race as it did in 2020, when joe biden flipped the state, winning by about 10,500 votes. it was the first time a democratic presidential candidate had won here in over 20 years. trump has had a slight lead over harris in most arizona polls released in the last week. surveys show the race is still

extremely close. my favorite thing about doing this, "velshi" across america series, is talking to the people, the voters, understanding their beliefs and desires for the future of this country. coming up, a part of my conversation with a group of arizonans from across the political spectrum. first, a note from one of our panelists who has a message for americans thinking about sitting this election out. >> voting right now is very crucial. you are voting not only for the next four years, but for a decade to come. you see the policies from 2008, the era of mccain is still relevant today. do not let others make your choice for you. arizona, we were decided by only 10,000 votes a couple of years ago. do not let the other side choose for you and decide your life and your future.

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in 17 days, millions of americans will head to the polls for yet another tremendously consequential election. i am in arizona, a state crucial to democracy four years ago and could prove critical once again. joe biden flipped the state in 2020 right now, the cook political report has the race for arizona listed as a tossup. in recent polling shows the two candidates nick and nick. to get a deeper insight into how this election is playing on the ground am i invited six motors from across the political spectrum, three of whom i've met before, to express how they plan on voting in two weeks and whether or not they think their party is doing right by them. >> are you planning on voting in this election? okay, that takes care of that. are you planning on voting for donald trump and j.d. vance? are you planning on voting for kamala harris and tim walz? okay. how many of you identify as democrats? as republicans?

and