>> THIS IS IMPORTANT. MR. VICE PRESIDENT, I'M SPEAKING. I'M SPEAKING. >> WELCOME BACK TO AMERICA DECIDES. THAT WAS BACK IN 2020, KAMALA HARRIS WAS NOT AFRAID TO TALK OVER MY FRIENDS WHEN HE INTERRUPTED HER DURING THE DEBATE. IN JUNE, THE CANDIDATES MICROPHONES WERE MUTED WHILE THE OTHER CANDIDATE SPOKE. THE HARRIS CAMPAIGN WANTS THEM BACK ON. THE DEBATE IS SCHEDULED FOR SEPTEMBER 10. AMONG OUR TOPICS WILL BE THIS AND MANY OTHERS, I PROMISE WE WILL NOT DWELL ON THIS, BUT WE ARE GOING TO GET INTO IT, DAVE IS A POLITICS REPORTER, LAUREN IS A POLITICS EDITOR FOR BLOOMBERG, LIGHTNING ROUND, GIVE ME YOUR THOUGHTS ON THE DEBATE, THE OCCURRENCE ON SEPTEMBER 10 WITH ABC, AND THE MICROPHONES. >> I THINK IT IS CLEAR WHAT HARRIS WANTS FROM AN OPEN MICROPHONE SITUATION, TRUMP OVER TALKING HIMSELF, AND I THINK THERE'S ANOTHER TURNING POINT THAT THEY CAN CONTROL, THE TRUMP CAMPAIGN HAS SPENT TIME AND EFFORT INVESTING IN, HARRIS IS A LIGHTWEIGHT WHO CAN'T HANDLE HIM, THE LAST IN CRITIC NOMINEE SHOWED UP AND ENDED THEIR CAMPAIGN. >> IT'S A REAL QUESTION OF IF THIS DEBATE HAPPENS AT ALL.>> YOU ARE THINKING IT MAY NOT HAPPEN? >> TRUMP HAS SAID HE DIDN'T WANT A DEBATE, THEN HE HELD A PRESS, SAYING HE WANTED TO DEBATE, THREE TIMES, NOW HE'S SAYING HE'S NOT SURE HE WANTS TO DEBATE, THIS IS A COUPLE WEEKS AWAY, A LOT CAN HAPPEN, IT IS CLEAR THAT HARRIS CAMPAIGN IS MORE INTERESTED IN DEBATING THEN FORMER PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP. >> I DO THINK THE VICE PRESIDENT NEEDS IT MORE, BIDEN WAS LOSING, HE NEEDED TO CONVINCE A CERTAIN NUMBER OF VOTERS, IT DIDN'T WORK, OBVIOUSLY. HARRIS IS DOING A LOT BETTER ON EVERY METRIC THEN BIDEN WAS, BUT SHE HAS NOT FACED DONALD TRUMP ONE-ON-ONE. SHE CAN HANDLE QUESTIONS, SHE CAN'T HANDLE POT SPONTANEITY, HARRIS SHOWING UP, I THINK IT SOLVES A LOT OF HER REMAINING PROBLEMS. SOME JUST FALL OFF THE CHART. >> LAURA, IT SEEMS THAT HARRIS CAMPAIGN IS SAYING SHE IS WILLING AND EAGER TO LITIGATE, SHE WANTS THIS OPPORTUNITY. >> YES, HER PROCESS FOR THIS ON THE SENATE JUDICIARY COMMITTEE, SHE CAME IN PREPARED, SHE WOULD LAND A LOT OF ZINGERS. WHERE SHE IS LESS COMFORTABLE IS IN THIS SORT OF UNSCRIPTED BACK AND FORTH, THAT'S WHY WE HAVE NOT SEEN A MAJOR INTERVIEW YET. SHE VIEWS IT AS AN ACADEMIC EXERCISE, HE VIEWS IT AS AN ENTERTAINER, THEY HAVE DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVES. >> FROM YOUR VANTAGE POINT, WHERE DOES THE CAMPAIGN SIT? NET PLUS FOR HARRIS, OR EVEN? >> I WOULD SAY EVEN, WE HAVE THE UNCERTAINTY OF BOTH WHAT SHE GOT FROM THE CONVENTION, AND WHAT HAPPENS TO THE REMAINDER OF KENNEDY VOTERS. IF YOU ARE THE TRUMP CAMPAIGN, YOU ARE VERY CONFIDENT THAT GOT YOU THE MARGIN IN PENNSYLVANIA TO GET YOU AHEAD, THE MARGIN IN NORTH CAROLINA, THEY STILL THINK THEY HAVE A MAP OVER 270, AND DEMOCRATS DON'T, BUT VERY CLOSE, THEY MADE A LOT OF DECISIONS FOR QUITE A LONG TIME, BASED ON THE ASSUMPTION THAT JOE WAS GOING TO BE JOE BIDEN. THERE ARE PEOPLE ADJUSTING WHERE DEMOCRATS ARE NOT, THE SUNBELT, NORTH CAROLINA, ARIZONA, THEY FEEL THEY ARE WINNING IN THAT, THEY WERE DOMINATING AND THAT A MONTH AGO. >> LAURA, WHAT IS YOUR SENSE? SO THEY ARE NOT SURE, THE TRUMP CAMPAIGN IS NOT SURE WHAT THE MESSAGING IS COMING YOU SEE TRUMP DOING A LOT OF PERSONAL ATTACKS AGAINST HARRIS, GOING AFTER HER RACE, HER GENDER, HER INTELLIGENCE, SAYING IN PUBLIC, MY ADVISERS ARE PLEADING WITH ME NOT TO GO ON THESE PERSONAL ATTACKS, THEN HE SAYS DO YOU WANT ME TO GO WITH PERSONAL ATTACKS OR NOT? HE GETS BIGGER CHEERS WHEN HE GOES ON THESE PERSONAL INSULTS. YOU SEE THE ATTENTION OF WHERE THE CAMPAIGN WANTS HIM TO BE, THEY ARE SETTING UP THESE EVENTS TO TALK SPECIFICALLY ABOUT THE ECONOMY, ABOUT THE BORDER, ABOUT MIGRATION, BUT STILL HE IS VEERING OFF SCRIPT, TALKING ABOUT THE LATE, GREAT HANNIBAL LECTOR, THINGS THEY PREFER HIM NOT TO GO WITH.>> WHO IS THE INCUMBENT, WHO IS THE CHALLENGER IN THIS RACE?>> THEY ARE BOTH GETTING AWAY WITH SOME SORT OF REINTRODUCTION, HARRIS, MORE SO, SHE WAS BACK UP AND PULLING BEFORE THEY SWITCH CANDIDATES, A LOT OF VOTERS DON'T ASSOCIATE HER WITH WHAT JOE BIDEN DID, THE OPENING ON INFLATION, THE TRUMP CAMPAIGN, THIS IS THE FORMER PRESIDENT RUNNING AS THE ANTIESTABLISHMENT, BREAKUP THE UNIT PARTY, AND THESE ARE MARGINAL FOR A LOT OF PEOPLE, BUT THE TURNING POINT ACTION GOES TO SHOW THIS IS NOW A PARTY OF NATIONAL UNITY VERSUS DEEP STATE BECAUSE WE DON'T LIKE ANYMORE, LIZ CHENEY,, HARRIS, ROMNEY'S PEOPLE, MAYBE IT MAKES MORE SENSE IN THEIR SPACE, BUT IT ONLY MAKES SENSE BECAUSE A ONE TERM PRESIDENT, FORMER PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP IS STILL RUNNING AS AN ESTABLISHMENT THEY WANT TO KEEP IN POWER. I THINK FOR HARRIS, IT WAS CLEAR THEY WERE GOING TO DO THAT, FOR THIS TO SUCCEED EVEN A COUPLE WEEKS FOR HARRIS IS SURPRISING. WHO IS THE INCUMBENT, WHO IS THE CHALLENGER IN YOUR PERSPECTIVE? >> WHEN YOU ASK VOTERS, PEOPLE KNOW WHAT TRUMP IS ABOUT MORE THAN HARRIS, EVERYONE KNOWS WHO TRUMP IS AND WHAT HE STANDS FOR, HARRIS IS LESSER-KNOWN, WHICH GIVES HER AN OPPORTUNITY TO BRAND HERSELF, THAT'S WHAT WE SAW LAST WEEK AT THE DNC, WE SEE TRUMP FIGURING OUT HOW TO BRANCH OUT, WHAT NAMES TO CALL HER, THAT WAS AFTER THROWING OUT STUFF THAT WASN'T REALLY STICKING TO THE WALL. EVEN STILL, YOU HAVE TO EXPLAIN HE HAS NOT BEEN ABLE TO LAND THE ZINGERS THE WAY HE WANTED TO, GIVING HARRIS FIVE WEEKS NOW TO GO OUT AND MAKE A CASE TO VOTERS. >> DAVE, THERE IS A HEADLINE, JOY IS NOT A STRATEGY, BUT JOY IS PART OF THE ZEITGEIST. IN CHICAGO, CLEARLY YOU SAW THIS, THE IDEA IS, POLITICS CAN BE DIFFERENT, FEEL DIFFERENT, IF YOU WANT DIFFERENT AND FEEL BETTER, GO THIS DIRECTION. IS THAT ENOUGH?>> THAT GOES TO WHAT YOU ARE SAYING ABOUT THIS CAMPAIGN, DONALD TRUMP IS STILL COMMANDING ATTENTION A LOT OF THE TIME, FOR 50% OF THE COUNTRY, USED TO BE 60%, THAT IS EXHAUSTING. THERE ARE THINGS THAT WOULD GO AWAY IF TRUMP DID NOT RUN THE POLITICAL PARTY, IT'S NOT THE MOST POLICY DRIVEN ARGUMENT, BUT THAT IS HOW I INTERPRET THE REMARKS, THERE IS SOMETHING MATERIAL IN THE ELECTORATE, DONALD TRUMP WILL NOT GO AWAY, WE ARE THE PARTY THAT CAN MAKE HIM GO AWAY, IT WAS INCREDIBLE WHEN JOE BIDEN SAID IT, THEY'VE GOTTEN PRETTY FAR WITH THE ARGUMENT, BUT I THINK THAT'S WHAT IT MEANS.>> IT IS AN EMOTIONAL THING, IF YOU ARE TIRED, EXHAUSTED, JUST DONE WITH THE FAMILIARITY YOU HAVE, MAYBE IT IS A FADING FAD, IF YOU ARE DUMB WITH - - IF YOU ARE DONE WITH TRUMPISM, THIS IS FRESHER, NEWER, A DISTILLATION OF THE HARRIS MESSAGE.>> MONEY CAN'T BUY HAPPINESS, JOY CAN'T BUY AN ELECTION, BUT IT CAN SOLVE PROBLEMS, DONORS AND VOTERS WANT TO VOTE ON A WINNER, SOMEONE WHO HAS MOMENTUM AND A FRESH FACE. IT'S TOUTING THE MOMENTUM, $540 MILLION IN THE LAST COUPLE MONTHS, IT TOOK THE BIDEN CAMPAIGN HALF THAT TIME, BUNCHES