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Shop Redstein tires at tirerack.com. Happening now, Donald Trump on the defensive. As he finds himself face to face with Kamala Harris, just hours after she baited and outperformed him in their fiery debate. We're breaking down the pivotal debate moments of voter reaction and what it all means for the final 55-day sprint to election day. Also tonight, the Taylor Swift effect. How much will the pop music icons endorsement of the Harris Walls campaign impact the presidential race? Plus, there's breaking news we're following right now. Life-threatening storm conditions in Louisiana. As Francine strengthens to a Category 2 hurricane and nears landfall. CNN is on the scene where billions of people right now are under a state of emergency. Welcome to our viewers here in the United States and around the world. I'm Wolf Blitzer. You're in the Situation Room. We begin with the state of the presidential race as voters are processing what they saw during the historic and contentious Harris Trump debate. CNN's Kristin Holmes reports on the face-off and the fallout. Sir, what did you say to Kamala Harris? Former President Donald Trump playing defense tonight, trying to insist he won the debate. When you don't win, it's like a fighter. When a fighter has a bad fight, gets knocked out or loses the fight. The first thing he says is we want to rematch. I would do NBC. I do Fox 2. I do Fox 2, but right now we have to determine whether or not we even want to do. Earlier today, a moment of civility among the rivals, Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris shaking hands as they commemorated the September 11th terror attacks at Ground Zero in New York. It came less than 12 hours after the handshake Harris initiated ahead of a fiery intense debate in Philadelphia. Kamala Harris, that is why so many military leaders who you have worked with have told me you are a disgrace. She goes down as the worst vice president in the history of our country. Harris successfully goading her Republican rival on a range of issues. The values I bring to the importance of home ownership, knowing not everybody got handed, $400 million on a silver platter and then filed bankruptcy six times. First of all, I wasn't given $400 million, I wish I was, but I was given a fraction of that, a tiny fraction, and I've built it into many, many billions of dollars, many, many billions. From his legal woes? Well, I think this is so rich, coming from someone who has been prosecuted for national security crimes, economic crimes, election interference has been found liable for sexual assault. Excuse me, every one of those cases was started by them against their political opponent, and I'm winning most of them and I will win the rest on appeal. People don't go to her rallies, there's no reason to go. People don't leave my rallies, we have the biggest rallies, the most incredible rallies in the history of politics. In that same breath, Trump also promoting false claims that immigrants in Ohio were stealing and eating pets. In Springfield, they're eating the dogs, the people that came in, they're eating the cats, they're eating, they're eating the cats. They're eating, they're eating the pets of the people that live there. You talk about extreme. Trump taking aim at Harris's record as vice president. So she just started by saying she's going to do this, she's going to do that, she's going to do all these wonderful things. Why hasn't she done it? She's been there for three and a half years. On policy, the two candidates clashing over their stances on abortion rights. The government and Donald Trump certainly should not be telling a woman what to do with her body. They have abortion in the ninth month. That is not happening, it's insulting to the women of America. Afterward, both campaigns claiming victory. It was the best debate I've ever personally, but I've had. But Harris emphasizing there's still work to be done. Today was a good day, we got to work tomorrow. We got 56 days to go, we got a lot of work to do. Now the Republicans I'm talking to are essentially saying the same thing. You've just heard from vice president Kamala Harris that there is a lot of work to be done. They don't necessarily think that this debate hurt Donald Trump in any way, but they still maintain that this race is going to be incredibly close, razor-thin margins. We know Donald Trump will be on the campaign trail later this week as well. He will be hitting Arizona, Nevada and Las Vegas doing an entire west coast swing. Harris herself also on the campaign trail. 56 days to go, both sides are hitting the ground running. Certainly our Christian home is reporting from New York. Thank you very much. We also have some new information on the post-debate strategizing going on inside the Harris campaign. CNN senior right house correspondent MJ Lee has been working your sources for us. MJ what are you learning? Well Wolf, the Harris campaign was certainly on a high last night after the debate. But today back in Wilmington at the campaign headquarters it very much is back to work even as the campaign has been trying to strategize on ways to capitalize on the momentum that the campaign felt last night. The campaign does not believe that the debate fundamentally changed the trajectory of the race. In other words, they still believe that this election is going to be incredibly close. And they also believe that a lot of the hard work is still to come in the weeks that are left until election day. This is how a senior campaign aide I spoke with earlier put it. They said it will be incredibly close. We cannot take our foot off the gas even when the moment feels really good. That of course again is a reference to last night. Nobody on the Harris team Wolf right now is saying all of a sudden they feel like this is a race that is a 45-55 race. They still believe this is going to be incredibly close to 50-50 race practically. And this is a team remember that very well remembers that the 2020 election was decided by tens of thousands of votes in a number of key battleground states. And that is of course why we are going to see so much time and resources and effort being poured into a number of those battleground states. You take a look at the states that we are going to see the vice president and her running mate traveling to in the coming days. States there like Pennsylvania, North Carolina, Michigan and Wisconsin. It kind of tells you where the focus of the campaign is and where they believe this election is going to be decided. Of course the vice president herself is going to be hitting the campaign trail and also attending a number of significant fundraisers in the coming days. We'll also see whether the campaign got a fundraising boost coming out of last night. And lastly that big Taylor Swift endorsement coming last night. We are told that the campaign did sell out of the friendship bracelets that the campaign started selling last night. The campaign is being very tight lipped about whether they might try to do some kind of event something to capitalize on that endorsement but clearly very happy about that. Very happy indeed as they should be MJ Lee reporting for us. Thank you very much. There's certainly a lot to unpack with our political experts and let's start with David Chely in the Harris campaign. Clearly thinks they had a very good night last night and they did have a very good night. But they're also tempering as we just heard MJ report, tempering expectations about how much this currently changes the race right now. What's your analysis? Yeah, well first of all, we don't know if it's going to change the race or not. So they're obviously being cautious in their approach to assume that it's not going to change the trajectory of the race. But there are two things there. One, obviously guarding against complacency, making sure that I think about it. Wolf in all the battleground states and all the structure and organization that they built on the ground, the ground troops up through the party leadership. They want everyone working every day. You saw it from all their high level surrogates on social media immediately. You know, the Michelle Obama's and Hillary Clinton's and Barack Obama's the world that we saw at the convention were out saying, yeah, she did great, but now it's time to get to work. So they were all sort of singing from the same songbook. The other piece is it's reality. It is going to be a close race. We haven't lived in a world without close races. We are a closely divided country. There are seven states that will determine this election. Probably, you know, just tens of thousands of votes across those seven states will determine the outcome. And winning the debate is not the same thing as winning an election. That's a good point as we know from history. Indeed, Jamie Gangal Kamala Harris immediately proposed another debate, a second debate. Trump is being wishy-washy on this, even though earlier he wanted more debates, now he's not necessarily committing. What's going on? It's amazing the difference one day can make. We're not hearing any time, any place, any more. And that's because he lost last night. It was a bad night for him. And it's a place where he's not used to losing. If you go back to 2016, when Donald Trump just eviscerated 16 other Republicans, he usually feels very strong about a debate. So he has to be, no matter what he says about it wasn't fair, you know, he has to be rethinking the next debate. That said, I'm not sure that he can get away with not doing another debate. I think we may see one. Yeah, we'll find out fairly soon, we're told. Van Jones, the former New Jersey Republican Governor Chris Christie says he thinks the Harris campaign is making a mistake in calling for another debate. Listen and watch this. I saw her campaign put out a challenge for a second debate, right after the debate. Please stop. Yeah, that'll never happen. Don't do it. Do not toy with perfection. Don't do that. You get in the ring against the guy who has had more presidential base than anybody in history and you knock him around. Raise your arms, go through two rallies a day, raise some money, and go home, man. So what do you think? What's your reaction? Do you agree with him? Well, I mean, I'm still just so happy from last night. It's hard to even think clearly. They call her a DEI candidate, well, the DEI hire whooped the trust fund baby and people are still just giddy. And so I don't know if she wants to do it again. I think she could whip him again. Honestly, Donald Trump is a diminished player. He was not able to do the stuff he's usually able to do. Near the end of the debate, he was almost incoherent. He was talking about stuff, even his friends know what he was talking about. So she's not scared of him. But to me, before you do another debate, you get out here and talk to us in the press. I mean, don't be scared now. She has shaken off any ghost, any sense of doubt that anybody could have. This is a world-class contender. Talk to everybody, interview everybody. Debate this guy 20 more times. What you saw last night was a master class and she's not scared of him. She shouldn't be. She was impressive indeed. David Urban, what are you hearing from Republicans about how Trump potentially can turn the page after last night? Will he try to do something big to change the story? Yeah, you know, Wolf, what I'd recommend to the campaign is just keep grinding out, right? Donald Trump is best when he's out on the stump, when he's out meeting people, doing small events, doing off the record stops, the OTRs, you know, going to the stores and doing retail. And look, you heard James Clyburn. I think James Clyburn came out today and said he'd recommend that Kamala Harris does the same. He'd recommend her. She gets out of her plastic bubble and goes out and meets people and talks to people and explains her positions because, you know, Van, I think is suffering from what David Axelrod earlier called a little irrational exuberance. Maybe that was before. Van has a little rational exuberance after last night. Pretty rational. Okay, but, you know, people still, you know, people still want to know what she's about. They don't, they don't really, look, she punched him and know she won the debate last night. It's clear, but it is not clear to people what she stands for. And I think that she needs to get out on the stump. Look, she's going to Pennsylvania. I see it's on the schedule a bunch. She's going to be out there trying to replicate what we did in 16 by going to these small counties and convincing people. I think that's what she should do. Listen, that's what I'm going to advise President Trump to do. Visit a lot of places in Pennsylvania, small places, manufacturing shops, restaurants, you know, shaking hands and kissing babies. You know, running for president is like running for governor in 50 different states. That's how you approach this. Jamie Gangel, Kamala Harris, repeatedly got under Trump's skin, as we all know last night. You're getting some new reporting right now about how the Harris team is hoping to replicate that going forward. What are you learning? I think we're going to see the same thing. Her goal is to show that she is a leader in control. We saw it last night from crossing the stage for the handshake. From all of those faces that she was making at him, the smile. I am told that that strategy will continue. They want to continue to trigger him. So I think we're going to see similar things, whether she's out at a rally, using the word weak or confused about him, and also take a look at their social media. You know, Donald Trump is very good at insulting people, calling people names. That is how he has attacked in the past. They're using a sense of humor. They just put up a new social media post. They said, dropping our latest ad. And what was it? It was the whole debate. It was a link to watch the whole debate. So this notion that they can go after him and diminish him is going to be a strategy we're going to see over and over. Very interesting. David Chelyan. Trump described his brief conversation with Kamala Harris today as very polite as words, saying he enjoyed the debate and hoped she did as well. He doesn't often talk about her in that way. What do you think? Well, the brief interaction was at the 9/11 memorial site. And Donald Trump can do the pleasantries. It's just that they mean nothing because they are immediately followed by an attack on social media or the like, as Jamie is pointing out. I don't think this is turning over some new approach to Kamala Harris. I don't think you should expect to hear pleasantries about Kamala Harris the next time we see Donald Trump when he campaigns in Arizona later this week or on the stump. I don't think these two were ever going to be past friends. They met for the first time last night, had their first handshake. And then this morning, just due to the nature that today was 9/11 the day after the debate, they had their second handshake and their second meeting at the 9/11 memorial site. She initiated that first hand. I think Mike Bloom, oh, last night, yes. But today, former Mayor Mike Bloomberg brought them together to make sure that they shake hands. Look, can I just say someone close to her said to me, she would like to go out and shake his hand every day. It works for her when she does. It was impressive, I must say. Van Jones, allies of Vice President Harris are calling for her to do more interviews to seize the momentum from last night. So far, as we all know, she's only done one TV sit down with her own Danabash. Does she need to do more? She absolutely does. David and I agree on that. And just come on in. The water is warm. I mean, maybe in the past, you know, she messed up a couple of little interviews early in the VP thing. They're still hanging over her head, some of her advisors, get out the way. Let this woman do her thing. Every time you hear from her, every time she's on the stage, she whooped Donald Trump mercilessly. It was a look like elder abuse. I mean, let this woman do her thing. And I don't think there's a single interview she can't handle. I don't think there's a reporter she can't handle. This woman is ready to be a world leader. Let her go. Let Kamala Harris do what she did last night every night and this thing's going to be wrapped up. Hey guys, thank you very, very much. Thanks to all of you. Very quickly. I didn't hear her answer any questions last night. So that'll be something to see if she does. She was allowed to get away without answering questions. So we'll see if she does. There's too many. We're gonna answer actual questions. She's answering questions. She's smacking your guy around. She's smacking your guy around. All right, guys. Everybody stand by. We're following some major breaking news right now. The category two hurricane that just made landfall in Louisiana, meteorologist Derek Van Dam is on the scene for us. Give us the latest, Derek. Well, if this storm has become more menacing as the minutes have clocked on, it's strengthened right before landfall into a category two. Just define all odds. Now we're receiving some of the worst conditions that hurricane that's seen as the buffer. I'm measuring winds 65 miles per hour right now with my animometer. And it's just incredible to see what this storm has done just when we thought it leveled off in its strength. It decided to take advantage of the warm ocean waters, a trend that we've seen with hurricanes in the past century, strengthening right before landfall. I'm under where I'm standing now, just outside of Morgan City in the southern parts of Louisiana, under a triple threat, a flash flood warning, a hurricane warning, clearly, and a tornado watch because any one of these bands that are coming through now could spin up a tornado at a moment's notice. The National Weather Service warning that this storm is that it's most powerful now as it makes its approach. It has now just made landfall within the past ten minutes or so about 20 miles southwest of where I'm located in Terrebonne Parish. I'm in St. Mary's Parish. Eugene Island that is very near here clocked to wind of 105 miles per hour. And that is consistent with a Category 2 hurricane. My anemometer is just peeking with Hurricane Force Gus and you can see some of the turbulent waves behind me. The Gulf of Mexico is still 10-15 miles behind me to myself. This is actually part of a lake that we've been reporting from all day today. But this is just complete white-out conditions. And what I've noticed is that the water has come up and it's approaching this berm. And if it does, every time I get one of those strong bands, it feels like you're getting the backwash. I've set it before, the backwash of a jet engine. And it stings your face with those little tiny wind droplets. I'm not even sure if you can hear me or see me. But we want to report that this is why there is a mandatory curfew in St. Mary's Parish. This is why there are voluntary evacuations. This coastline is so vulnerable to hurricanes because of its low sea level. We're only about six feet above sea level. And that is higher than some of the storm surge projections that are in this area. Wolf, this storm, if I can summarize it in one word, is menacing. It's menacing indeed. I just stay safe over there. Derek Van Damme on the scene for us covering this category to Hurricane that's making landfall right now as we'll be closer and closer towards New Orleans at the same time. Now we're going to get back to Derek soon. We'll get an update. Everyone stay with us. We'll have a lot more coming up right after this. All is such a clutch off-season pickup, Dave. I was worried we'd be bringing back the same team. I meant those blackout motorized shades. Blinds.com made it crazy affordable to replace our old blinds. Hard to install? No, it was easy. 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Tonight, the Trump team is touting the former president's debate with Kamala Harris as a big success. Their words, big success, even as the reaction from viewers and pundits suggest otherwise. We're joined now by CNN political analyst and longtime Trump watcher Maggie Haberman of the New York Times. I'm Maggie. Thanks for joining us. Trump claims last night was his, quote, "best debate performance." We saw him go to the spin room immediately afterward. Do you think he knows he lost? I think he knows that he may not have performed sub-optimally while considering how we have seen him aggressively pushing back on any criticisms and declaring that he wanted to bait that by every objective voice I've seen, it's widely agreed upon that he did not win. He lost. What that means for the campaign and the election, I think, is an open question. We're going to know more in the coming days. We'll see what the polls show. We'll see if Vice President Harris gets a bump, but Donald Trump had a rough outing. It was arguably the worst debate and certainly, you know, if you don't think it was the worst, it was the second worst debate that he has had since he entered the political scene. The arguably worst one would be against President Biden in 2020. Yeah, it was pretty bad last night for Trump. But Trump repeatedly took the bait last night as you know, something his advisers and allies said he wouldn't do. I want to play one of those key moments. Listen to this. You will see during the course of his rallies, he talks about fictional characters like Hannibal Lecter. He will talk about when Mills caused cancer. And what you will also notice is that people start leaving his rallies early out of exhaustion and boredom. People don't go to her rallies. There's no reason to go. And the people that do go, she's busting him in and paying them to be there and then showing them in a different light. So she can't talk about that. People don't leave my rallies. We have the biggest rallies, the most incredible rallies in the history of politics. The question Trump was asked, Maggie, was about the border. Yet he ended up talking about crowd sizes. Did it surprise you how easily he was provoked by Kamala Harris? It honestly didn't surprise me. Wolf, I thought there was a chance of this just given that he has such contempt for her and has made that very clear. That immigration non-answer, or at least the question of immigration that he then proceeded to talk about his crowd size about, was actually a mirror image to a problem that President Biden had in their June debate where he was asked a question on abortion. President Biden's best issue, just as immigration is one of Donald Trump's best issues, and Biden proceeded to pivot away from abortion and talked about immigration, his worst issue. In this case, crowd size is not Donald Trump's worst issue, it's just an irrelevant issue, and it allows Vice President Harris to say he is only interested in himself and talking about himself. It was a lot of missed opportunities. Well, if I don't know how much new people learned about Donald Trump, although arguing that immigrants are eating pets from the debate stage, probably is going to get some attention. For the most part, viewers have seen this kind of rhetoric from Donald Trump a lot, and he does these things at rallies as well. But this is a moment that millions and millions of Americans were tuning in for. It's just very different. The former president, as you know Maggie, is also not yet committing to a second debate with Kamala Harris. What does that tell you? And do you think he will see? We will see another debate? I think there's a chance. Well, I mean, I think we're going to see what the polling looks like, and we're going to see if the campaign feels like they need to do it for whatever their purposes are. Look, he toyed with the idea of dropping out of this ABC debate that was last night in the days leading up to it. So I expect that we're not going to hear anything concrete from him for a while. We know that Vice President Harris' team immediately challenged him to another debate because they believed that they did well and they wanted to try to set the stage for him not agreeing and suggesting that he is scared and worried about doing it. I do think there's a chance he will wait and see. We will indeed. It's perhaps the most bizarre moment, Maggie, from last night. Trump seized on that rather wild conspiracy theory that Haitian immigrants were eating pets here in the United States. I want to play that for you. Listen to this. In Springfield, they're eating the dogs, the people that came in. They're eating the cats. They're eating the pets of the people that live there. And this is what's happening in our country, and it's a shame. Maggie, what are you hearing from the Trump team about that? Look, publicly the Trump team is saying that he had an outstanding performance and they're not surprised, privately, a number of supporters, allies and advisors would rather he not have talked about that cats and dogs conspiracy theory because it just stands out and it's just a moment again where a lot of people are paying attention. This is an unfounded claim that he is making to demagogue immigrants. But they're more concerned about the fact, bluntly, that he did not make a case tying Vice President Harris, not just tying him to President Biden, but also making her own their three and a half years in office. That was the goal for this debate. He had one opportunity after another to do it, and he did not do it. Maggie Haberman, thank you very much for joining us. Always appreciate it. Coming up, we're digging into new CNN reporting right now around the Vice President's campaign strategy, including why aides think the debate ultimately won't necessarily change the trajectory of the race. A co-chair of the Harris Walls campaign, Senator Lefanza Butler joins us live. That's coming up. Plus, a live look in Morgan City, Louisiana right now where Hurricane Francine is pummeling the Louisiana coast as it makes landfall. Another update from the ground that's coming up as well. Joining me now, Democratic Senator Lefanza Butler of California, a national co-chair of the Harris Walls campaign. Senator, thanks very much for joining us. Despite Kamala Harris' winning CNN's Instant Poll right after the debate, your campaign doesn't necessarily think this debate alone will change the trajectory of the race. So what will? It's great to be back with you. Lefan, no single thing is a replacement for no single debate. There's a replacement for getting out and talking to the American people. And that is what the Harris Walls team is committed to doing. In all of the battleground states across this country, we are going to be talking with voters no matter where they are, small towns, big cities, rural communities, asking for their vote, talking to them about the Harris Walls vision of a new way forward and inviting them to be a part of that, to see themselves in and to participate in our democracy. And so it was a great night last night for Vice President Harris. But we're committed to not taking a single vote or community for granted. I want to play for you, Senator. Some of Trump's more outlandish claims, and there were many of them last night. Listen to this. I have been a leader on fertilization IVF. In Springfield, they're eating the dogs. She wants to do transgender operations or illegal aliens that are in prison. Abdul is the head of the Taliban. He is still the head of the Taliban. And I told Abdul, don't do it anymore. You do it anymore. You're going to have problems. I read where she was not black that she put out. And I'll say that. And then I read that she was black. Given all of that, Senator, why is this still a neck and neck race? What does that say to you about Kamala Harris right now in her campaign? Look, I think that the American people know that we function in an electoral college system. And the ways in which that our presidential election is determined is simply not by majority vote. And what it means is that there are fewer and fewer people in our country and fewer states that are going to be truly swing voters that will determine the outcome of this race. And what fun strategically it means for the Harris Walts campaign. Again, Wolf, is that we've got to go out and do the work. The Vice President herself has been very clear that this is a campaign that is running from behind, running as an underdog. And yes, there were some moments in last night's debate that really were head scratchers. If you were listening or trying to listen to anything that former President Trump was saying. But that the American people out here that are going to be -- that are really up for grabs what I call Kamala curious voters. They really want to understand what kind of leader Vice President Harris has prepared to be. The vision that she and Governor Walts want to bring forward for the American people. And contrast that with what we know to be former President Trump's policy agenda and those are being articulated in Project 2025. And so that's going to be our work. That's going to be our focus. And we can't allow ourselves to get distracted or take anything for granted. The Trump campaign senator just released a new attack ad on Kamala Harris' handling of the economy. Let's watch. Watch this. When it comes to the economy, groceries were less expensive. Housing was more affordable when Donald Trump was President. Yet Harris still says. Bidenomics is working. No, it isn't. On the other hand, inflation just slowed to the lowest rate here in the United States since February 2021. But Kamala Harris is still 20 points behind Trump on the issue of the economy in our instant poll after the debate. How does she turn that around? Look, Wolf, the reality is that the Vice President has acknowledged working families out there are hurting. The price gouging and increased cost of housing and prescription drugs truly are hurting the American people and working families all across this country. The difference between the Vice President and her campaign to invite more people to bring our country forward and a former president who's committed to just going backwards is that she's actually put out a proposal to do something about what she has been hearing from voters all across the country. And so it's fine if the former president wants to put out an ad, but what is his plan? He has no plan for the American people and that point was made clear last night. Senator Lefanza Butler of California, thanks very much for joining us. Thank you. And once again, we're following major breaking news right now. A live look here in Louisiana. We're a dangerous hurricane is making landfall right now. Our team is on the ground. We'll have a live report that's coming up next. This week on the assignment with me, Audie Cornish. How the UFC has become a key part of a broader Trump campaign strategy to turn out disaffected young men looking for a political home. The kind of voters who have been peeling off from the Democratic Party the last few years. We talk about why that is. What if anything Democrats can do about it? Listen to the assignment with me, Audie Cornish streaming now on your favorite podcast app. Alright, let's get another check of the storm emergency in Louisiana where Hurricane Francine just made landfall. Our meteorologist Derek Van Dam is on the scene for us. Derek, give us an update. Well, this is what? This is some of the most intense part of Hurricane Francine which was upgraded to a category two hurricane just upon its final approach into southern Louisiana where I'm located. We are in Morgan City. We're outside of the flood wall protection area, so not actually downtown. The wind bands and rain bands associated with this are all part of the Northern Eye Wall. So if we have a radar going right now, you can kind of see that we are getting this constant barrage of some of the most intense part of what Hurricane Francine has to offer as it pivots around the Morgan City area here in St. Mary's Parish. landfall occurred about 30 miles to my southwest and terrible on parish. And there was a wind gust on Eugene Island just to my south of 105 miles per hour. Complete white out conditions. And we have this simultaneous triple threat unfolding which are hurricane warnings as well as storm surge warnings in a tornado watch. And they flash flood warning at the same time. It's an intense storm and it's part of this trend of hurricanes that strengthen as they make their final approach because of the warm ocean waters. All right, Derek Van Dam, stay safe over there. We'll be in touch and we'll be right back with more news. Tonight, Kamala Harris has a lot more to celebrate than her showing in the debate. Now that Taylor Swift has endorsed her, Brian Todd takes a closer look. The celebrity endorsement so many had been anticipating has landed. Pop superstar Taylor Swift has thrown her support behind Vice President Kamala Harris. On Instagram, where she has over 280 million followers, Swift writes of Harris, quote, "She fights for the rights and causes I believe need a warrior to champion them. I think she is a steady-handed, gifted leader." She also mentions LGBTQ+ rights, IVF and a woman's right to her own body. She signs it childless cat lady, a rebuttal to Senator J. D. Vance's criticism of Democrats without children. Swift also slammed Donald Trump for reposting these fake images, implying she and her fans support him. So what impact could Swift's endorsement have on Harris's campaign in a race where young voters and women voters are crucial? Many of Taylor Swift's fans are women, young women, and those are votes that she definitely needs and wants to get. And so I think that it could potentially play into that gender gap dynamic that we're seeing in 2024. Kamala Harris is running mate Tim Walz, who was in the middle of an interview when he learned of the endorsement, immediately asked Swift's fans to volunteer for the campaign. This would be the opportunity, Swifties. KamalaHarris.com, get on over there, give us a hand, get things going. A year ago, when Swift urged her fans on Instagram to register to vote, registration saw a surge of over 35,000 in just one day, according to the group Vote.org. Maybe what the role she'll play is helping with voter turnout. Maybe not necessarily swing people, but encouraging more people to come out to vote who might not otherwise vote. For years, analysts say Swift was reluctant to get into politics. Her dad was really scared for her to step into the political arena because we know that comes with a lot of backlash, no matter which side you're on. In 2018, Swift finally jumped in, endorsing two Democratic congressional candidates in Tennessee where she owns property. In a Netflix documentary about her, Swifties captured in an argument with her father about getting involved in politics. She was critical of Republican Marshall Blackburn, who ended up winning that Senate race in Tennessee. She votes against fair pay for women. She votes against the reauthorization of the violence against women act, which is just basically protecting us from domestic abuse and stalking, stalking. Harris has gotten a bump of new energy among young people with a wave of online memes and jokes this summer. Her campaign song is Beyonce's Freedom. Swift's music is also often played at Harris's rallies, including the one after last night's debate. The Taylor impact is real. The U.S. government says as of 2 o'clock p.m. eastern time today, almost 338,000 people referred directly from Taylor Swift's Instagram URL have visited Vote.gov. Trump, meanwhile, responded to the endorsement saying he was not a fan of Taylor Swift. A Trump campaign spokeswoman sent CNN a statement saying this is more evidence that the Democrats have become the party of the wealthy elite. Wolf, Brian Todd reporting, Brian. Thank you very much, and we'll be right back. Patrick, Michael, Aronios. David, Gregory, Archan. Jean, Avastique. Adam, Pete, Arias. We have repaired the damage to this building, but we cannot repair the damage to your hearts. No words can take away your grief. No amount of time can make sense of the worst terrorist attack in American history. The character of the passengers and crew showed who they were that day by putting others first. Their individual and corporate actions on that day saved many innocent, unsuspecting lives from tragedy. My mom, C.C., Louise, Ross, Lyles. Aaron Burnett off run starts right now. Don't miss the new CNN film about the man who redefined American political campaigns. He is the smartest son of the f*ck has ever done this for a wedding. Carvel. Winning is everything, stupid. 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