“Genuinely, to my core, I feel 50-50,” says MSNBC host Chris Hayes, “and just at the most basic emotional and psychological level, it’s kind of the best way to go into it.”
The historically close race between Kamala Harris and Donald Trump has anchors, like Hayes, accepting the uncertainty of election night and the possibility that the election, as in 2020, might not be called for several days while results continue to be tallied. It’s a guiding philosophy I’ve similarly heard from competitors at CNN, anchors at corporate sibling NBC, and from fellow MSNBC hosts Stephanie Ruhle, Ari Melber, and Alex Wagner, who stressed the need for “patience” and being “mindful about how we think about this extraordinary moment we find ourselves in.”
In addition to discussing MSNBC’s prime-time coverage, which kicks off at 6 p.m. Tuesday, I spoke to the four hosts more broadly about this momentous period in American politics, the mix of exhaustion and motivation among voters, and the threat of Trump disrupting the democratic process. Trump “has tried to steal an election,” notes Melber, “and is openly talking about stealing this one.”
This interview has been lightly edited for style and clarity.
Vanity Fair: Where is the race generally? Obviously there’s been an intense news cycle in the last couple of weeks regarding both campaigns’ media blitzes. I’m wondering if you wanted to sound off on whether you think anything that’s happened, or could happen, will move the needle at this point.
Chris Hayes: I do think the MSG rally, and I do think the specific “Puerto Rico is a floating island of garbage” joke cut through. No one knows what cuts through and what doesn’t. We’re all operating in this very weird universe in which competition for attention is so fierce that it’s very hard to tell what people are getting and what they are not. But clearly, that got through.
Stephanie Ruhle: I do think that the needle moved this week. Even if you watched Kamala Harris, her closing remarks at the Ellipse were super strong from a technical standpoint in policy, but also an overarching sense of unity. I do think it moved the needle for lots of people in that [business] space who aren’t necessarily raising their hands saying, you know, “I’m with her,” but they know the threat of tariffs and it’s going to be [Donald] Trump picking winners and losers. This was definitely a positive week for her…. There’s been much disappointment that more business leaders haven’t stepped up and said anything about Trump and comments that are likened to fascism. If Kamala Harris wins this election and Trump doesn’t accept the results, I think we’re going to see a lot of prominent people who have been quiet step up and say, “Enough is enough, we need to respect the outcome of this election.”
