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♪♪ welcome back to politics nation. there are 17 days until the election. both former president donald trump and vice president harris are making their final pitches to voters. vice president harris has begun sharpening her attacks and her lines of attack against trump, focusing in on his fitness for office. two political analysts and two msnbc contributors are with us. anita tolliver, a democrat, and susan --, a republican. wanita, here is vice president harris and her running mate, governor tim walz on the trail this week. take a listen. >> donald trump is unfit for the office. he is unstable, and frankly is a danger to our democracy, and has been said by the person who

worked closely with him when he was president, he is unfit to be president of the united states. >> you remember 2016. you remember the way he talked. this is not that trump. this is something much more deranged, much more desperate, maybe to stay out of prison. and with jd vance there, there are no guardrails around him. >> he says he will target and punish those who disagree with him, or refused to bend to his will. he calls these americans the enemy within. >> the focus on trump seems to be a big shift from the campaign from the upbeat tone of the summer. do you think this strategy is working, wanita? >> i think this strategy is going to work as a tool. especially one that appeals upon age, race, and when issues with freedom, democracy, and our basic rights are what they are referring to. donald trump, through project

25, through his own words from the rally stages, which both vice president harris and governor walz emphasized, are clear. that's if he accepts the results of an election. i think what they are doing is casting a clear net that is going to mobilize voters. they want their rights protected. that's why you see freedom as a clear banner behind the vice president everywhere she goes. because that's something donald trump is against. asking the questions that a lot of people are definitely asking, especially after watching trump instead of take questions, sway on stage for 30 minutes, and then called americans enemies within. they are hitting the nail on the head with a specific way that will appeal. >> susan, how effective is the messaging right now, as we wind down the election cycle?

will it play with republicans? >> first, i called out juanita the last time i was on for not reading the book. i just want to say, a more perfect party, thank you very much. okay. >> we are hoping it gets to the best sellers list. >> yes. >> so i think the vice president's message is good. i wish that she would focus more on the scariest parts of donald trump's message, which is the enemy within, the incompetence. the fact that his former cabinet members thinks he is also dangerous. let others go after him swaying, and some of his crazy talk last night. president obama was fantastic calling out trump. he does it really well. the vice president wants to reach out to moderates. it's better to take that route.

at the end of the day, what i like, coming to this closure with three weeks to go, it's starting to get riled up again. we can win this. we are not afraid of hardware, and moving forward. she is kind of hitting on all cylinders. i think it's important that people know this doesn't just happen. this is a three month campaign. this is really hard to rollout. as things start happening, they are not by accident. we shouldn't be too hard on the campaign itself may be that it waited a while for interviews and stuff like that. she will be on your show tomorrow at 5:00. that's a perfect interview for her to do, and then she can take it to other things. i am looking forward to her really focusing on rallying her base, and sending a message of donald trump's incompetence. >> susan, sticking with you,

next week, donald trump is expected to hold a rally at madison square garden here. both parties are scrambling for any advantage to control the house next year. meanwhile, there are prominent republicans who not only oppose a second trump term, but they are also throwing their weight behind the democrats in key battleground races. for example, on tuesday, former congresswoman liz cheney endorsing a former cnn commentator who is challenging gop representative nick -- of long island. this is in new york's ground zero fight for the house control. >> first, i wonder if trump actually put a down payment on the madison square garden. i don't know if he has the cash on hand to rent that out. either way, what i think liz cheney is doing is something that is so important.

and it has been my main reason for being upset with all these republicans who have just fallen in line with trump. we need to govern again as a country. the democrats, even if i disagree with a lot of their policies, they are trying to govern. the republicans are just trying to stop things. full disclosure, i've known him for over 25 years. he's a great guy. i would just personally like to see him win. i would also like to see those democrats who will bring the effort to work by partisans in a bipartisan way to washington. >> you've known them 25 years, you must have been in school together. a republican strategist told nbc news that he is predicting this presidential race being the closest since bush. if it is as close as it seems, should we start thinking about what comes afterward?

given that trump seems unlikely to concede, and determined to cast out doubts on the voting process. >> right. considering he's made those statements already. considering that republicans are recruiting poll workers and election workers, that they are also deploying attorneys across the country in preparation for whatever lawsuits the trump campaign intends to file after the votes are counted, and while they are counted. we should all be bracing for that similar response. in 2020, it was a bit of a dry run. in 2024, they are bit more organized and intentional about these tactics. i think it will be something to pay attention to, understanding that every time donald trump is asked if he will accept the results, it is a we will see type of response. he is seeing this up to do a replay of 2020.

i'm grateful that election officials and secretaries of state are on the lookout for those tactics. whether it is trump making calls to secretaries of state, asking them to find 11,780 votes. right? i also appreciate that trump is not sitting in the oval office for this election. his inability to a ploy doj officials to also harass officials in this scenario. with that in mind, we should be paying very close attention to what trump, the rnc and republicans are planning to do after based on what they are investing right now. >> juanita tolliver -- tolliver and susan. be sure to preorder your copy of juanita tolliver's upcoming book , a more perfect party. the night shirley chisholm and -- reshape politics. the book will be released january 14th. i already have my copy.

coming up, as the presidential race winds down, some are saying former president trump is running out of gas. his former attorney michael cohen joins us next to talk about his recent behavior. stay tuned. stay tuned. swiffer sweeper dry* traps 2x more dust and hair for a clean even mom approves of. nice reach! brooms can just push stuff around, but swiffer grabs dirt and even traps the hair. swiffer. the mother of all cleans. love it or your money back! do your dry eyes still feel gritty, rough, or tired? with miebo, eyes can feel ♪ miebo ohh yeah ♪ miebo is the only prescription dry eye drop that forms a protective layer

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legal troubles really emerged in the headlines with new reporting from msnbc that trump's lawyers recently tried again to compel adult film actress stormy daniels to keep quiet her latest sexual encounter with trump, and the criminal hush money trial that resulted in a 34 count felony conviction of the former president five months ago. joining me now, michael cohen, former attorney to donald trump. michael, thanks for being with us, as always. let me go right to it. for months, donald trump hammered president biden over his health, alleging an insurmountable decline, and then he became the oldest nominee in american history. after this weekend, which he rambled through a combative interview, interview after

interview combative, cut a townhall short to try and dance for 40 minutes, his a strained -- estranged niece is calling this evidence of cognitive decline. you worked side-by-side with him for years. that's how we met. his public appearances are increasingly glitchy, and he's canceling interviews and campaign events with just days left before the election. in your judgment, is something wrong with him? you are on mute. >> we still can't hear you. >> let me take a break, and we will come back and try to get your microphone sorted out. >> i hear you now.

>> donald trump has been trying to meet you for the last couple of years. go ahead. >> you can say that again. it's great to see you. you and i have known each other since 1999. i can honestly say that neither you or i have ever seen an exhausted donald trump looking the way that he looks right now. pale, flustered, sweaty, completely disoriented. the question that i would then turn around and pose, who wouldn't be when you have 34 criminal counts that have been levied against you, you have about 600 million in civil fines. you know that you are failing in this campaign, and that if you don't win this presidential election, that accountability is going to be had by you for the first time in your life. he is physically and mentally exhausted. >> you were at the center of trump's criminal hush money

trial. we saw him convicted of 34 felony counts for falsifying business records to cover up an alleged affair with adult film actor stormy daniels. this week, msnbc learned that trump's lawyers recently tried to compel daniels not to make unfavorable comments about trump ahead of the election. offering to lower the restitution demands of liz daniels after she lost the defamation suit she filed against trump, separate from the hush money trial. your thoughts on trump's continuing efforts to silence stormy daniels? >> i don't understand why they would even do this. are they trying to be michael cohen? i'm talking about the lawyers that he has currently with him. stormy daniels was fortunate she ended up doing get my recommendation by the way, a gofundme, which brought for her

over $1 million. why they would think that she would want to keep more of it for herself, and not pay it off? i don't know the answer. why they even think that it's relevant? her book was widely read. people know exactly what it is that took place between the two. she has not been quiet about that affair that they had. so what's the point to do it? honestly, i have no idea. to me, it makes no sense at all. was it somebody that when rogue to try to do something to curry favor with donald? see, that's the problem. you have all of these crazy acolytes that are running around. each one trying to outdo the other for who could be more, you know -- more improper than the other. i have no idea why they would do this. it makes no sense to me at all. zero. >> let's bring it back to

politics, michael. even as he struggled to say on message this week, his rhetoric was dark and combative. and on democratic-led cities, some of which he has campaigned in recently, along with otherwise unfavorable blue states. if trump wants to win, why is he taking this message into places where he is not competitive? blue states, and heavily black cities? >> red, like i said 1 million times, trump is racist, he's sexist, misogynistic, transphobe, islamophobic, and anti-semitic. i am appalled at the statements he keeps making. whether it's the haitian immigrants, immigrants from the congo, mexicans, about jews or the blacks, i am appalled by

every statement. your viewers, your listeners, and all of america needs to really start concentrating on his statement about the enemies from within. donald trump did not make up that line. that is a joe mccarthy line. on top of that, it is also a derivation of adolf hitler. why he is doing this? i don't know. like i said before, nothing screams elect me president like using the doj to go after a political opponent or a critic like he did to me. and one last thing. your two previous guests, juanita and susan, they brought up a great point about the kamala harris tim walz campaign. this is low hanging fruit. why? the something you and i have talked about many times. i am the first political prisoner held by my own

country. this case right now is before the supreme court of the united states. that is in hopes of getting rid of --. i am the first political prisoner held by my country because i refused to waive my first amendment constitutional right. i am not the one who said it. justice alvin helen steen said in his petition order that ultimately was the reason to get out after 51 days of solitary confinement. he did it to me, he would do it to you, and he would do it to anyone who is critical of him that he deems an opponent. >> michael cohen, i'm going to leave it there. that's a heavy statement. thank you for being with us tonight. when we come back, i will tell you why i went to ohio on wednesday, and why am going to georgia tomorrow. stay with us. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪

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earlier this week in my capacity as founder and president of the national action network, i went to columbus, ohio, and brought together the reverend jesse jackson and jesse jackson jr., corey wise and new york city council member of the central park five, now the exonerated five. we went for a voter activation tour. the visit through the heart of the state is the second leg of the nonpartisan get out to vote campaign following a bus trip to philadelphia last month. i encourage all of you to simply get out and vote. and tomorrow, i will be in georgia for my exclusive one-on- one sit down interview with vice president and democratic presidential candidate kamala harris. that is sunday at 5:00 p.m.

eastern right here on politics nation. i want to get past just the policy talk and talk about how what she is proposing will affect everyday people. working people, middle-class people, poor people. what it means to them. we use slogans all the time, inflation reduction act, and other acts. what will it mean to people on the ground? i want to talk to kamala harris about that tomorrow. we will be right back. ht back. . metamucil's psyllium fiber helps keep your digestive system moving so you can feel lighter and more energetic. metamucil keeps you movin'. and try fizzing fiber plus vitamins.

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