SO SORRY. THIS IS NOT GOING TO GO WELL. PRAYING TO HEALTHY. >>> SPEAKING OF SETTING LOW EXPECTATIONS. >> GOOD TRANSITION! >> THIS IS WHY I'VE BEEN TRYING TO EXPLAIN TO MY FORMER REPUBLICAN BROTHERS AND SISTERS THAT YOU WANT TO BE LIKE BEAR BRYANT. YOU WANT TO SET LOW EXPECTATIONS AND THEY HAVE BEEN TOO STUPID TO DO THAT UP UNTIL LIKE MAYBE THE LAST 15 MINUTES. NOW THEY ARE SAYING, NOW IT'S PROJECTION OR CONFESSION AND SAYING HE IS COKE'd UP AND SNORT IT BEFORE THE DEBATE. >> THEY APPEAR CONCERNED ABOUT THIS LEANING HEAVILY ON THE DRUG CONSPIRACY THEORY. PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN REMAINS THIS MORNING AT CAMP DAVID IN THE MIDDLE OF INTENSE PREPARATION FOR THIS WEEK'S DEBATE AGAINST DONALD TRUMP NOW JUST TWO DAYS AWAY. THREE PEOPLE FAMILIAR WITH THE BIDEN CAMPAIGN'S PLANS TELL NBC NEWS THE PRESIDENT IS STUDYING HOW BEST TO GET UNDER DONALD TRUMP'S SKIN IN ORDER TO, QUOTE, TRIGGER HIS OPPONENT AT THURSDAY'S DEBATE IN ATLANTA. IF TRUMP COMES UP MORE DISCIPLINED THAN HE HAS ON PAST OCCASIONS, SOURCES SAY THE PRESIDENT'S GOAL IS TO BRING OUT, QUOTE, RALLY TRUMP, THE RAMBLING ONE. ONE WAY HE MAY TRY TO DO THATPA PRESIDENT AS A FAILURE TO WIN THE 2020 ELECTION. BIDEN CAMPAIGN STRESSES THERE IS A FINE LINE TO WALK BECAUSE THEY STILL. AMERICANS TO COME AWAY WITH THE IMPRESSION THE PRESIDENT IS THE ADULT IN THE ROOM. AS FOR TRUMP'S DEBATE PREP, NBC NEWS REPORTED LAST WEEK THE FORMER PRESIDENT IS HAVING POLICY DISCUSSIONS WITH ALLIES AS OPPOSED TO FORMAL PREP SESSIONS. SO JIM MESSINA IS WAITING PATIENTLY AS WE WERE TALKING SPORTS. LET'S TALK ABOUT THE DEBATE PREP WHEN THE TWO MEN GET ON THE STAGE. WHAT ARE YOU LOOKING FOR THURSDAY IN ATLANTA? >> A CLEAR CONTRAST BETWEEN THE TWO CANDIDATES. I USED TO SAY TO PRESIDENT OBAMA, IF YOU'RE ON THE DEFENSE, WE ARE LOSING. IF 8:00 CHOICE BETWEEN THE TWO CANDIDATES, WE WILL WIN. I THINK EVEN MORE TRUE NOW. I THINK WHAT BIDEN WANTS OUT OF THE THIS DEBATE IS HAVE THE AMERICAN PEOPLE LOOK AT THEM AND REMEMBER WHY THEY FIRED DONALD TRUMP FOUR YEARS AGO AND WHY THEY HIRED JOE BIDEN. IF HE CAN BE THAT GUY, I THINK A SUCCESSFUL NIGHT AND THE GOAL OF THE BIDEN CAMPAIGN. TRUMP JUST HAS TO LOOK SANE. RECENTLY IN SOME OF THE APPEARANCES, HE TALKED ABOUT SHARK ATTACKS THE OTHER DAY FOR FIVE MINUTES. >> YEAH. >> AS LONG AS HE DOESN'T DO THAT, I MEAN, YOU KNOW, THE EXPECTATIONS FOR HIM ARE FAIRLY LOW HERE. I THINK HE HAS JUST GOT TO APPEAR SOMEWHAT SANE IN FRONT OF THE NATIONAL PUBLIC. >> ELISE, IMPLICIT IN THIS WHOLE RIFT THEY ARE ON ABOUT JOE BIDEN GOING TO BE ON DRUG AND DRUG TESTING, THEY ARE SAYING HE WAS SO GOOD AT THE STATE OF THE UNION HE MUST BE ON SOMETHING. THEY CAN'T FIGURE IT WHETHER HE IS AN OLD MAN OR KILLING IT AT THE STATE OF THE UNION. WHAT ARE YOU LOOKING FOR? >> I HOPE BOTH WOULD TAKE DRUG TESTS BECAUSE IT WOULD BE FASCINATING WHAT DONALD TRUMP ON FOR SO MANY YEARS, WHATEVER, YOU KNOW, SPECULATING 80s DIET DRUG. ASIDE FROM THE FACT THAT IT HAS JUST BEEN SO MANY DUMB ACCUSATIONS TOSSED OUT THERE, BASICALLY, THE TRUMP CAMPAIGN HAS MADE A HUGE MISTAKE BY SETTING EXPECTATIONS SO LOW. AND IF JOE BIDEN GOES OUT AND IS ANYTHING LESS THAN LOOKING LIKE HE HAS BEEN HANGING OUT UNDER A BRIDGE AND DRINKING AND DOING DRUGS ALL NIGHT, LIKE HE REALLY PROBABLY IS GOING TO HAVE A VICTORY. THEY JUST HAVE SET THE EXPECTATIONS SO LOW. >> JOHN, AS YOU KNOW, COVERING THIS WHITE HOUSE SO CLOSELY EVERY DAY, THE CAMPAIGN WILL TELL YOU THE STAKES ARE VERY HIGH FOR DONALD TRUMP BUT ALSO FOR JOE BIDEN. HE NEEDS TO TO COME OUT WHAT HAPPENS LIKE AT THE STATE OF THE UNION AND EXCEED THOSE EXPECTATIONS AND SHOW BECAUSE OF THE QUESTIONS BECAUSE OF HIS AGE AND AMONG THE SUPPORTERS AND DEMOCRATS AND INDEPENDENTS STILL DECIDING WHICH WAY TO LEAN THAT IS HE IS STILL UP TO THIS JOB AS HE DID AT THE STATE OF THE UNION. >> THEY KNOW THAT AND BIDEN CAMPAIGN KNOW THIS IS A BIG MOMENT. THEY WANTED A DEBATE THIS EARLY BECAUSE THEY WANTED TO CHANGE THE TRAJECTORY OF THE RACE WHICH HAS BEEN CLOSE ALL ALONG BUT IN THE BATTLEGROUND STATES DONALD TRUMP HAS ENJOYED, FOR THE MOST PART, NARROW LEADS ALTHOUGH WE HAVE SEEN THAT POLLING CLOSE A LITTLE BIT IN RECENT WEEKS. AT THE KNOW MUCH LIKE THE STATE OF THE UNION, QUESTIONS ABOUT JOE BIDEN'S AGE AND QUESTIONS ABOUT HIS ABILITY TO CONTINUE DOING HIS JOB ANOTHER FOUR YEARS AND FEEL A MOMENT TO SETTLE SOME OF THOSE DOUBTS. I'LL NOTE ABOUT THE REPUBLICANS. WITH ATTACKS ABOUT JOE BIDEN POTENTIALLY BEING ON DRUGS, ATTACKS ON THE CNN MODERATORS, THOSE ARE NOT THE KIND OF THINGS YOU DO IF YOU'RE CONFIDENT ABOUT YOUR GUY IN THE DEBATE, GENE ROBINSON, THAT IS BECAUSE WE KNOW, LOOK. DONALD TRUMP FOR MINUTES AT A TIME CAN APPEAR DISCIPLINED AND ON THE BALL. BUT WE KNOW THAT USUALLY DOESN'T LAST. WE KNOW THAT THE BIDEN CAMPAIGN IS GOING TO TRY TO PROVOKE RAMBLING MONOLOGUES ABOUT SHARKS. YOU WROTE ABOUT HOW FOR DONALD TRUMP EVERY WEEK IS SHARK WEEK. THAT IS WHERE IT IS HERE, TOO. WE KNOW THAT THE STAKES ARE HIGH FOR JOE BIDEN, THAT HE HAS TO LOOK LIKE HE IS UP FOR THE JOB BUT SO DOES DONALD TRUMP AND FOR A LOT OF AMERICANS, THURSDAY NIGHT WILL BE THE FIRST TIME THEY REALLY HEAR DONALD TRUMP IN FOUR YEARS. THEY MIGHT BE SURPRISED WHAT THEY FIND. >> YEAH. THEY MIGHT BE VERY SURPRISED TO HEAR TRUMP 2024 WHO IS OBSESSED WITH SHARKS. IF BIDEN WANTS TO TRIGGER HIM, JUST SAY SHARK AND BOAT AND LET HIM GO OFF. I MEAN, OR SAY WATER. HE HAS THIS OTHER RAP ABOUT WATER AND DISHWASHERS AND VERY CONFUSING. TO GET HIM INTO THAT RALLY TRUMP MODE IN WHICH HE IS ALL OVER THE MAP. HE CAN'T COMPLETE A SENTENCE OR A THOUGHT AND HE IS JUST RIFFING IN THE MOST BIZARRE WAY. I THINK THAT WOULD BE KIND OF AN IDEAL SITUATION FOR BIDEN. BUT I BASICALLY AGREE WITH THE ANALYSIS THAT PRESIDENT BIDEN NEEDS TO REMAIN UPRIGHT AND MAKE SENSE, DO WHAT HE DID AT THE STATE OF THE UNION, AND GIVEN WHERE EXPECTATIONS HAVE BEEN SET BY THE REPUBLICANS, THAT IS A MASSIVE VICTORY FOR BIDEN, BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, THEY HAVE ESSENTIALLY CONDITIONED THE TRUMP BASE TO EXPECT BIDEN TO FALL OVER AT THE DEBATE OR TO FALL ASLEEP OR SIMPLY NOT HAVING AN IDEA WHERE HE IS. THIS WAS A HUGE MISTAKE. >> JIM, WE HAVE SEEN STORIES ABOUT SOME SNAP POLLING SINCE THE CONVICTIONS AS SUGGESTING THAT IT HAS ACTUALLY -- KARL ROVE WE PLAYED A CLIP OF BEING OVER THE CONVICTIONS SAY IT HAS MADE A DIFFERENCE. NOT A MASSIVE DIFFERENCE BUT ESPECIALLY IN INDEPENDENTS AND THE VOTERS WHO MATTER THE MOST AND WHO IS GOING TO DETERMINE THE OUTCOME OF THIS ELECTION, IT'S MATTERED. WITH THAT IN MIND, HOW DOES JOE BIDEN HANDLE DONALD TRUMP'S 34 FELONY CONVICTIONS? >> HE POINTS OUT REPEATEDLY IT'S ABOUT DONALD TRUMP. THIS HAS ALWAYS BEEN ABOUT HIM. HE'S ON A REVENGE TOUR. THEY HAVE A NEW AD THIS MORNING TALKING ABOUT ABOUT AND HOW JOE BIDEN IS FOR THE MIDDLE CLASS AND HAS A PLAN AND DONALD TRUMP IS ON A REVENGE TOUR. YOU'LL SEE BIDEN TALK ABOUT THE 34 CONVICTIONS, YOU KNOW, A COUPLE OF DIFFERENT WAYS TO REMIND PEOPLE THAT THIS IS A CLEAR CHOICE. I THINK IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT. JOE, THIS ENTIRE ELECTION WILL COME DOWN TO THE DOUBLE-DOUBTERS AND THESE VOTERS WHO DON'T LIKE EITHER ONE OF THEM AND THIS IS THE FIRST TIME THURSDAY NIGHT WHERE THEY KIND OF LOOK AT THIS RACE AND SAY, HA. I GOT TO MAKE A DECISION HERE? I WANT TO FIGURE OUT WHAT EXACTLY THESE TWO CANDIDATES ARE GOING TO DO FOR ME. I TOTALLY AGREE WITH JONATHAN. IN THE END, TRUMP HAS SET THE
