HOUSE RIGHT NOW, WE WOULD LIKE TO HAVE MORE OPPORTUNITY TO SPEAK WITH VICE PRESIDENT HARRIS AND NOT HAVE IT BE A TWO- QUESTION INTERVIEW. JOINING US NOW FROM THE DEBATES MADE ROOM IN ATLANTA IS U.S. SENATOR CLAIRE McCASKILL OF MISSOURI, ALSO KNOWN AS NBC POLITICAL ANALYST. DYING TO KNOW WHAT YOU THINK ABOUT HOW THINGS WENT TONIGHT. >> WELL, FIRST, THE EASY PART. DONALD TRUMP IS A LIAR, A FLAWED CHARACTER, MEAN, A JERK, VERY UNLIKABLE AND THAT WAS OBVIOUS TONIGHT. NOW, THE HARD AND HEARTBREAKING PART. I HAVE BEEN A SURROGATE FOR SOME PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATES IN MY TIME. I KNOW WHAT THE JOB IS AFTER A DEBATE, OF A SURROGATE. I HAVE NEVER WANTED TO BE A SURROGATE MORE THAN I DO RIGHT NOW, BECAUSE WHEN YOU ARE A SURROGATE, YOU HAVE TO FOCUS ON THE POSITIVES. BUT, I HAVE SAID VERY CLEARLY AND VERY PLAINLY ON THIS NETWORK AND MY JOB NOW IS TO BE REALLY HONEST. JOE BIDEN HAD ONE THING HE HAD TO DO TONIGHT AND HE DIDN'T DO IT. HE HAD ONE THING HE HAD TO ACCOMPLISH, AND THAT WAS REASSURE AMERICA THAT HE WAS UP TO THE JOB AT HIS AGE, AND HE FAILED AT THAT TONIGHT. NOW, DOES THAT MEAN THAT MY PHONE BLOWING UP WITH SENATORS AND CAMPAIGN OPERATIVES AND DONORS, BIG DONORS FROM ALL OVER THE COUNTRY, DOES THAT MEAN THAT JOE BIDEN IS NOT THE CANDIDATE? I DON'T KNOW THAT. I THINK WE WILL KNOW A LOT MORE IN A FEW WEEKS, HOW THIS PLAYS OUT, HOW THE POLLING PLAYS OUT, BUT I THINK A COUPLE OF THINGS ARE GOING ON RIGHT NOW. I THINK I'M NOT THE ONLY ONE WHOSE HEART IS BREAKING RIGHT NOW. THERE ARE A LOT OF PEOPLE WHO WATCH THIS TONIGHT AND FELT TERRIBLE FOR JOE BIDEN AND YOU KNOW, YOU HAVE TO ASK, HOW DID WE GET HERE? HOW DID WE GET TO THE POINT THAT WE ARE SPENDING A WHOLE LOT OF TIME TALKING ABOUT THE VICE PRESIDENT TONIGHT INSTEAD OF TALKING ABOUT THE PRESIDENT, AND I DON'T KNOW HOW THE REST OF THE STORY IS WRITTEN. I DON'T KNOW IF THINGS CAN BE DONE TO FIX THIS. THEY MIGHT, AND TRUMP IS SO TERRIBLE THAT THIS MIGHT HEAL ITSELF, BUT BASED ON WHAT I'M HEARING FROM A LOT OF PEOPLE, AND SOME OF THEM ARE PEOPLE THAT ARE IN HIGH ELECTED OFFICES IN THIS COUNTRY AND YOU MIGHT GUESS WHERE THEY SERVE, THERE IS A LOT MORE THAN HANDWRINGING TONIGHT. I DO THINK PEOPLE FEEL THAT WE ARE CONFRONTING A CRISIS. >> CLEAR, I WANT TO TALK TO YOU ABOUT THIS AND VERY NUTS AND BOLTS TERMS. GIVEN WHAT YOU ARE DESCRIBING, THE KIND OF REACTION YOU ARE DESCRIBING AMONG PEOPLE IN THE KINDS OF POSITIONS YOU ARE ALLUDING TO, WHAT CAN BE DONE? WHAT DO YOU PERSONALLY THINK SHOULD BE DONE? >> WELL, I THINK -- LISTEN. THIS COULD BE A SITUATION WHERE EVERYONE TALKS IT OUT OVER THE NEXT FEW DAYS. I DO THINK THAT THIS IS A TIME THAT TED KAUFMAN AND MACHETE AND DONLON AND RON KLAIN ARE GOING TO HAVE TO HAVE A HEART- TO-HEART WITH THE PRESIDENT ABOUT HIS ABILITY TO EXUDE STRENGTH AND LISTEN, NOBODY IS A A FAN OF KAMALA HARRIS THAN I AM AND YOU KNOW, SHE DID A REMARKABLE JOB TONIGHT AS A SURROGATE AND STUFF I DISAGREE WITH -- ANYTHING THEY'RE SAYING, BUT THOSE TWO PEOPLE ARE SIGNALING TO A WHOLE LOT OF AMERICANS THAT ARE PAYING ATTENTION, HOW COME THEY'RE NOT RUNNING? HOW COME THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY DOESN'T HAVE THEM AT THE TOP OF THE TICKET INSTEAD OF USING THEM TO SHORE UP WHAT HAD BECOME AFTER TONIGHT SOME GLARING WEAKNESSES IN OUR PRESIDENT. >> GIVEN THAT WE ARE 130 DAYS OUT ON THE DEMOCRATIC CONVENTION IS VERY LATE, AND PRESIDENT BIDEN HAS BEEN CONFRONTED WITH THESE KINDS OF QUESTIONS FROM THE BEGINNING OF THIS CAMPAIGN, ACTUALLY FROM BEFORE THE BEGINNING OF THIS CAMPAIGN, AS SOON AS HE WAS SWORN AND PEOPLE STARTED TALKING TO HIM ABOUT SAY NOW YOU WON'T RUN AGAIN, AND HE HAS BEEN FROM THAT HE IS THE GUY, AND HE'S NOT GOING TO JUMP, NOBODY'S GOING TO PUSH HIM. THE TYPE OF CRISIS IN YOUR WORDS YOU ARE DESCRIBING HAS TO HAVE A RESOLUTION AND IF THE RESOLUTION IS NOT GOING TO BE THAT PRESIDENT BIDEN IS GOING TO LEAVE THE TICKET, WHAT ELSE CAN BE DONE? WHAT ELSE CAN BE CHANGED ABOUT THE CAMPAIGN? ARE YOU SAYING THE ONLY SOLUTION IS TO TAKE HIM OFF THE TICKET? >> NO. I DON'T KNOW, HONESTLY, WHAT THE SOLUTION IS TONIGHT. I KNOW HOW THIS FELT TONIGHT. IT FELT LIKE A GUT PUNCH TO MOST PEOPLE IN THIS COUNTRY WHO ARE PAYING CLOSE ATTENTION, AND KNOW HOW DANGEROUS DONALD TRUMP IS TO ALL THE VALUES THAT WE HOLD DEAR, AND SO I THINK IT WILL TAKE A COUPLE OF DAYS AS PEOPLE RECOVER FROM THE GUT PUNCH BUT THERE WILL BE LEADERS WHO HAVE THE ABILITY TO TALK TO THE PRESIDENT. I THINK THE PRESIDENTS FAMILY WOULD GET INVOLVED IF IT ACTUALLY GOT TO THAT POINT. IT MAY BE THAT YOU CAN REPAIR THIS DAMAGE. MAYBE HE CAN COME OUT AND SHOW MORE VIGOR AND SHOW THE ABILITY TO REALLY STAY ON TRACK BUT YOU KNOW, THERE WERE SOME MOMENTS TONIGHT THAT ALL OF