If it's Thursday, the mad dash begins as the campaign's clash over polling, new revelations about Iranian election interference, and new lines of attack with just 47 days to go. Plus, former President Trump says he's going to Springfield, Ohio, despite pushback from local officials, as his campaign doubles down on spreading falsehoods about Haitian immigrants. And what's next for House Speaker Mike Johnson and his plan to avert a government shutdown at the end of the month after House Republicans fail to pass their own funding bill? Welcome to Meet the Press Now.
I'm Kristen Welker in Washington. We begin with the wild state of the presidential race as new polling suggests Democrats are now in the strongest position they've been in this contest all year. And yet the race remains essentially a toss-up with just 47 days to go. We'll have much more on the latest polling later in the hour.
But we do begin on the campaign trail and another foreign hacking episode. U.S. intelligence agencies now revealing Iranian hackers sent information to Biden campaign associates that had been stolen from the Trump campaign. It's unclear what information was stolen, who exactly it was sent to, and what, if anything, the Biden campaign did with it.
U.S. officials say the malicious cyber actors sent the information in the form of unsolicited emails and that there is currently no information indicating those recipients replied. The Harris campaign says they have cooperated with authorities and that they are not aware of any hacked material sent to them. Despite a lack of evidence, the Trump campaign is now accusing the Harris campaign of illegally spying on it while accusing President Biden of working with Iran without any evidence.
Three agencies of the Kamala Harris and Joe Biden administration, the FBI, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, and Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, they just released a report confirming that Iran actors hacked into the Trump campaign's email accounts and in turn sought to give the hacked materials to the Biden-Harris campaign. They gave them all of the materials because Biden is working with Iran. Iran hacked into my campaign. I don't know what the hell they found.
I'd like to find out. Couldn't have been too exciting. But they gave it to the Biden campaign. I can't believe it.
Oh, yes, I can. Now, again, the Harris campaign says it's not aware of any hacked material sent to them. The Trump campaign is also now calling on its rivals to come clean on whether they used the hacked material. The former president's comments, a departure for him on the issue of hacked campaign material.
In 2016, his campaign freely and repeatedly used information about the Clinton campaign that had been stolen by Russian hackers and leaked online. As president, he publicly said he'd take information about his political rivals from foreign adversaries and maybe not tell the FBI. His response to the hack comes amid a string of unconventional campaign decisions of late, including last night as he vowed to travel to Springfield, Ohio and Aurora, Colorado, two cities the Trump campaign has used to push unfounded and baseless rumors about immigrants. They've got to get much tougher.
I'm going to go there in the next two weeks. I'm going to Springfield and I'm going to Aurora. You may never see me again, but that's okay. Got to do what I got to do.
Whatever happened to Trump? Well, he never got out of Springfield. Springfield Mayor Rob Rue has been on the record that a visit from Trump would be an extreme strain in his words on their resources as the community reels from bomb threat hoaxes in the wake of the former president's false claims about Haitian migrants eating pets, claims that have been repeatedly debunked by local officials. Let's bring in some of my NBC News colleagues now.
Ken Delaney is covering the Iranian campaign hack story. Shaq Brewster is in Springfield, Ohio. Vaughn Hilliard is covering the Trump campaign and Mike Memoli is covering the Harris campaign. Ken, I have to start with you.
Let's talk about these allegations that Iran hacked into the Trump campaign. What do we know and what does the fallout look like? So the FBI has confirmed that they believe that Iran hacked into the Trump campaign, tried to hack into the Biden campaign in an effort to interfere, similar to what the Russians did back in 2016, to steal information and to put it out in public. They've offered it to journalists.
But according to three law enforcement officials, what you just heard from Donald Trump there is flatly false. They've said that there's no evidence that anybody in the Biden-Harris campaign who received emails containing stolen information even opened the emails. They may have thought they were spear phishing emails. Many of us get those every day and we disregard them because to open them risks putting malware on your computer.
And that's what the Biden-Harris campaign says. And as they said, in fact, they didn't learn that they were targeted in this way until the FBI came to them and said, hey, you received these emails. And so the other interesting thing is that the FBI added that the Iranians continued to try to peddle this information to news organizations. So far, to our knowledge, no news organization has published any of the stolen material.
You know, it's interesting because there's a big question about what exactly is material that we're talking about. Do you have any reporting at this point about what the material is? The only thing that's been out there is that it included an internal campaign dossier on J.D. Vance.
You know, the kind of thing that campaigns do. You do research on yourself. What are his vulnerabilities? And the sense you're getting from reading between the lines that it wasn't all that interesting.
It really wasn't something that news organizations felt compelled to publish, particularly when they know it's the fruits of a foreign intelligence operation. This isn't 2016. People back then uncritically and without really thinking just blasted out emails that were stolen by the Russians. People are taking another look at whether that's appropriate.
Well, right. And you remember back in 2016, when former president then candidate Trump said, Russia, if you're listening, basically hack into Hillary Clinton's emails. Talk a little bit about the disparity in terms of what he's saying right now versus how he treated hacked material back in 2016. That's the most famous quote, but the campaign had a pattern of welcoming Russian assistance, working with WikiLeaks.
There was a 2020 report by the Senate Intelligence Committee, bipartisan. Marco Rubio coauthored it that said that that was a counterintelligence nightmare that the Trump campaign opened themselves up to manipulation by Russian intelligence by cooperating with that effort and showing no qualms. Donald Trump never, ever had a qualm about using any of the materials stolen by Russia. This is very quickly.
What happens next in this investigation? The Justice Department is intimating that they're going to file charges in this case, but it's likely to be against people who are overseas and outside the reach of U.S. justice. All right, Kendall Laniehan, thank you for taking us off.
Appreciate it. Let's go out to the field. Shaq Brewster, you are covering these false allegations and the impact of them that the Trump campaign is making about migrants abusing pets in Springfield, Ohio. Now Trump says he's actually going to visit Springfield.
What are people there telling you about that? Well, we just heard from officials. We heard from the governor, Mike DeWine. We heard from the mayor here.
And they're essentially saying it's their preference if Donald Trump doesn't make that visit, doesn't make that trip to Springfield. And they say it's essentially because resources here are already strained. They're already at a breaking point. And it really goes back to those threats.
Ever since Donald Trump went on the debate stage and made these unfounded and debunked claims, you've seen a flood, a wave of threats throughout the Springfield communities. Those threats have targeted schools and colleges, have targeted businesses here in this area. And when you talk to people here, the word you continue to hear is fear. People saying that they're scared.
I want you to listen to what some parents told us at one elementary school that was evacuated just last week. Listen to what they said as they are now having their kids return to school. The lies that people are putting out there, that's not true. Them people did not eat no cats or no dogs.
That's a lie. I was also enraged because I know that a lot of it is rooted in lies against the community that has shown me a lot of love. You've never felt the fear that you're describing? No, no, not this is new.
This is new for us. We can't sit down. That last gentleman that you just heard from is the manager of a restaurant in this town. He's a Haitian immigrant himself.
And he says just this week, he's been picking up the phone and people have been having hate filled calls essentially saying, what's the cat on the menu today? He talks about the fear that he's feeling in his community. And just to give you the overlap and the sense of overlap, he was actually shopping at the Walmart that was evacuated yesterday because of another hoax bomb threat. The impact on this community is widespread and up to today, it's continuing.
Well, and Shaq, just to follow up with you, there have been some 30 bomb threats against the city, right? I mean, this is a community that is really dealing with a new reality in terms of the fear that they're experiencing. Exactly, and those threats lead to resources being exerted. And this is a town, you know, you have one official saying, look, this is not New York City.
This is not Chicago. They're not used to having big events come to their town. So, for example, when we talk about the threats to the schools, well, the governor had to launch state troopers, about three dozen state troopers to go to each of the school buildings in this town. And they go through every morning and essentially sweep for explosives and then are also stationed there throughout the day to make parents and students is actually hurting his momentum.
What are you hearing? What's the view inside Trump world now, this many weeks out from the debate? I think what is notable about his 2024 campaign is really he is the chief strategist, he is the chief communications director, he is effectively the campaign manager this go-around. And the operation around him exists and operates off of what he wants them to do.
And so for him, the immigration issue is something that he's comfortable with. We saw him in 2016. We saw him talk about the Trojan horse and about Muslim immigrants coming to the United States. We heard him talk about the caravans in 2018 and 2020.
This is an area where he feels comfortable talking about and putting this out into the ether here. And so, of course, when you're talking about the threats that these migrant communities are facing and those, including the Haitians who are legally here under a temporary protected status, this really hits at the heart of the Democrats' message that he is alienating a part of what is the American population. But for Donald Trump, he believes that immigration, Americans are looking for somebody who is tough and somebody who is going to look out after American jobs. And that is why we saw at the Republican National Convention, when we were there, Kristen, we saw those signs, mass deportations now, because Donald Trump believes that ultimately, when it comes down to it, that that's a winning message for him.
Do you think he will be going to Springfield? Did his announcement that those are his plans, was that something that was planned? Did it catch some of his campaign officials off guard? We're waiting for an official announcement.
And as you know, Kristen, over the last nine years, Donald Trump oftentimes said he's going to do something, whether it released policy or votes more over the course of two weeks. There's a good number of times that it doesn't actually happen. Maybe he does go to Springfield, Ohio. Of course, as Shaq was just laying out, it would be quite the event to have him go into this neighborhood that has been through a lot over the last few weeks here.
But for Donald Trump, of course, Ohio is a state that he picked up in 2016 and 2020 here. And for him in the Midwest, Wisconsin, voters there, they had their mail ballots start being sent to them here today. So for Donald Trump, again, that is really the epicenter in a way, figuratively and potentially literally of his campaign right now and the message that he's going to with these closing days before folks get their mail ballots. Yeah, it is just stunning that people are starting to get their ballots.
All right, Vaughn, thanks so much for your great reporting. Really appreciate it. Let's head out to Mike Memoli now. Mike, what's the view right now inside the Harris campaign?
Obviously, Pennsylvania, we've got these new polls showing that the race is all tied up there. It is hard to see, quite frankly, either candidate winning without Pennsylvania. So what is the Harris's view? What's their strategy right now as it relates to the Keystone State?
Well, Kristen, we're seeing a lot of attention on Pennsylvania throughout this campaign by the Harris campaign, just like we saw with the Biden campaign before. There is not a week that goes by where one of the major principles is not on the ground in this state speaking to key voters, key constituencies. Don't forget how much time the vice president spent in Pennsylvania with the debate in Philadelphia, just preparing for the debate across the state in Pittsburgh. And so even as they still look at the battleground map the way that they saw the Biden team saw it, they look at those expansion states, as they called it in the 2020 Biden campaign, North Carolina, Georgia, where the vice president will be tomorrow.
But there is almost no scenario involving the climb to 270 electoral votes that does not include Pennsylvania. And that's why you're going to see a continued effort by the campaign there. Vice President Harris continuing primarily to be in the big cities. We also saw her in the Scranton area last week.
Governor Walz campaigning as he did in Erie, Pennsylvania, a place with a lot of swing voters, a lot of voters like those that President Biden considered his base. And we have heard the president himself talk about maybe going on a bus tour with the popular governor Josh Shapiro to also hit some key communities. And so this is a state that I'm sure we're going to be spending a lot more time on, including probably in the last hours of this campaign, I'm willing to bet, Kristen. Yeah, I think that that is a safe bet to make, Mike.
And let's talk about what's happening tonight. Vice President Kamala Harris will be appearing with Oprah back in 2008 when Oprah endorsed Barack Obama. It ultimately, in hindsight, did make a difference. What will you be watching for tonight?
What do you think is going to come out of the evening? Well, I think this event tonight stands really puts in stark relief the contrast between these two campaigns right now. As you were just talking to Vaughn, the former president very much focused on this issue of migration in the context of Springfield, continuing to talk about these conspiracy theories about migrants, you know, eating cats and dogs. Well, I find it so interesting.
The audience that the vice president is trying to target tonight with her event with Oprah, we have seen the enthusiasm, the shift in these polls really largely reflects Democrats coming home. Democrats who weren't necessarily enthusiastic about Joe Biden now saying they are enthusiastic about Kamala Harris. But the Harris campaign believes that the audience that will tune in tonight, the audience that Oprah helps bring to the table, are these voters we were talking a lot about in the Biden campaign. Those who were fed up with politics, didn't want to engage in politics.
They say they have the 200,000 people registered to watch this virtual event tonight. They expect thousands more will be tuning in. This is a chance to reach some of those persuadable voters, people who are considering whether they even wanted to vote in this campaign. That's how the Harris views tonight's event.
They think it's a real tremendous opportunity for her to reach some of those voters. All right, Mike Memoli, thank you so much. Really appreciate it. Always great to see you.
Coming up, cash is king. President Biden reacts to the Federal Reserve's decision to slash interest rates as the economy remains at the top of voters' minds. Those remarks straight ahead. Plus, a live report from Capitol Hill as House Speaker Mike Johnson charts a rocky path toward avoiding a government shutdown after a major setback yesterday.
We'll explain. You're watching Meet the Press Now. Stay with us. Welcome back.
A day after the Federal Reserve's aggressive interest rate cut, President Biden delivered remarks this afternoon at the Economic Club of Washington, touting progress made by his administration in fighting inflation while emphasizing more work does need to be done. Let's be clear, the Fed lowering interest rates isn't a declaration of victory. It's a declaration of progress. It's a signal we've entered a new phase of our economy and our recovery.
You know, I believe the importance for the country to recognize this progress. Because, because if we don't, the progress we made will remain locked in the fear of negative mindset and dominate our economic outlook since the pandemic began. NBC News senior White House correspondent Gabe Gutierrez joins me now. Gabe, thanks so much for being here.
Really appreciate it. So talk a little bit about the big takeaways from today's speech. Was this more about trying to shore up President Biden's legacy on the economy or about laying the groundwork for a Harris economic agenda? How do you see it?
Well, Kristen, it was a little bit of both. You just played that segment from the president. He called it an important day for the country, but he emphasized that more needs to be done. And that seems to be trying to bridge the gap to another potential, to a potential Harris administration.
Now, certainly, as you said, Kristen, the economy top of mind for many voters. And President Biden has long expressed frustration that his administration hasn't gotten the credit, as he sees it, for many of his legislative achievements. He mentioned that in today's speech, the Chips and Sciences Act, the bipartisan infrastructure law and others. So he's trying to sell his legislative accomplishments as his term winds down.
But certainly on the minds of his administration, certainly the Harris campaign. They want to see his legislative achievements turned into possible votes for her, Kristen. There's no doubt about that. Well, you know, it was notable.
He didn't, not surprisingly, shy away from talking about his predecessor in the speech. What were the big takeaways there? Yeah, Kristen, he talked about his predecessor a lot, but notably, he did not mention Donald Trump by name. Look, he repeatedly talked about how, and he has previously talked about how he was handed a mess when it came to the economy when he took office back in 2021.
In his speech, he talked about how far the economy has come since that time with inflation has been cooling since the time of the COVID-19 pandemic. And remember the baby formula shortages back then. He ticked through all of those improvements as his administration sees it. And he really tried to emphasize how he and his administration has tried to establish independence from the Federal Reserve.
Of course, former President Trump yesterday, without evidence, trying to make the case that the Fed may have been playing politics with the lowering of interest rates. Again, without evidence. But there's one thing, Kristen, that President Biden mentioned today that was incorrect. He said he had never spoken to Jerome Powell since he took office.
That is incorrect. He did speak with the Federal Reserve chairman back in 2022 when he came here to the Oval Office. But Jared Bernstein, the chair of the U.S. Council on Economic Advisors, he cleaned that up a little bit during appear to show signs of optimism for the Harris campaign, the Vice President leading or tied with Trump in three key swing states, as she appears to narrow the gap with the former president on voters' top issue, the economy, trailing within the margin of error on the issue in those same key Rust Belt states in a recent Quinnipiac poll.
Joining me now to break down the numbers, our panel, Benji Sarlin, Washington Bureau Chief for Semaphore, Democratic strategist Ashanti Golar, and Republican strategist Doug Heintz. Thanks to all of you for being here. A lot to discuss here. We keep getting all of these new polls, Benji.
So just to set the table here, where are we in this race? It's still incredibly close, right? So on one level, we just got seemingly dozens of polls overnight, a flood of numbers in Pennsylvania showing mostly a narrow Harris lead if you average them out, similar in some of the other key Rust Belt states in a recent Quinnipiac poll. Joining me now to break down the numbers, our panel, Benji Sarlin, Washington Bureau Chief for Semaphore, Democratic strategist Ashanti Golar, and Republican strategist Doug Heintz.
Thanks to all of you for being here. A lot to discuss here. We keep getting all of these new polls, Benji. So just to set the table here, where are we in this race?
It's still incredibly close, right? So on one level, we just got seemingly dozens of polls overnight, a flood of numbers in Pennsylvania showing mostly a narrow Harris lead if you average them out, similar in some of the other key Rust Belt states in a recent Quinnipiac poll. Joining me now to break down the numbers, our panel, Benji Sarlin, Washington Bureau Chief for Semaphore, Democratic strategist Ashanti Golar, and Republican strategist Doug Heintz. Thanks to all of you for being here.
A lot to discuss here. We keep getting all of these new polls, Benji. So just to set the table here, where are we in this race? It's still incredibly close, right?
So on one level, we just got seemingly dozens of polls overnight, a flood of numbers in Pennsylvania showing mostly a narrow Harris lead if you average them out, similar in some of the other key Rust Belt states. But the truth is everyone is just going to treat this as pretty much a toss-up to election day. We are in the zone where no one's especially confident in the polls after 2016 and 2020, and no one has such a large lead that you would say it is even an especially durable advantage right now. You should just pretty much act and vote as if you have absolutely no idea what's going to happen on election day.
Which, you know, just underscores how divided the country is, Benji, and it's really been that way since the beginning of this race, even when President Biden was at the top of the ticket. Let's look at this polling on who would be the better candidate for bringing needed change to the country. Take a look at this. Harris leads 50%, Ashanti, to 47%.
This is significant because this is being viewed as a change election. The candidate who can make the case that they're the change agent may, may, I'm going to caveat that, have the momentum heading into election day. Yes, one of my favorite quotes comes from Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley, and she says you can't pull transformation, and that is what we see happening. We knew this was always going to be a close race, even before the switch.
And it is great to see these polls, and it does show the energy, but also the work that Vice President Harris and Coach Walls are putting into this campaign. They are taking all of these states seriously. They have great policy, and they are meeting voters where they are. And that is what we are seeing.
So as long as they continue to do that, we're going to see that surge of energy remain. Doug, one of the things, if I were the Trump campaign looking at these numbers, that I would be most concerned about is on the economy. He still leads her comfortably, but she continues to catch up. What do you make of those figures when you see her inching along on the economy?
Well, it tells us that the economy is obviously getting in a better place, and people are starting to feel that. So, you know, obviously we haven't been able to pull a 500, you know, 50 basis points in the interest rates, but they're starting to feel some of that. Yes, Trump still has the advantage, but it's not the advantage that he needs, and in part because Trump isn't just a candidate, he's a brand. And his brand is successful businessmen.
I'm going to grow jobs in the economy. So if he's not winning that massively, he needs other areas. And that's obviously why we're seeing such a focus on, regardless of the rhetoric, immigration. Yeah, let's put up, I'm going to put up this Fox poll that shows that it's still the economy, immigration, abortion.
But abortion has actually, Benji Sarlin, gained some steam on this issue. You see 15%, 39%, economy is still the top issue, but 15% now say it's their most important issue. What do you make of that, and what does that mean about potential turnout and enthusiasm in November? One thing I would keep an eye on that some pollsters have brought up with us recently, I think you've seen it especially in some of the Pennsylvania polling lately, some of the Michigan polling, is that the gender gap varies a lot from poll to poll.
But some of those polls that show Harris with a significant lead, even if it's just three points, four points, five points, what's happening is a massive lead with women that is larger than Trump's own significant lead with men. And I know this seems like a very perhaps boring answer of what happened if we wake up and there's a Harris victory, but it really might be as simple that Trump has just not hit his floor with women, especially in the suburbs, especially college-educated women, since Dobbs. And that that could make up potentially for some losses elsewhere, even decisively. Yeah, I mean, Doug, he's trying to deal with that gender gap by doing things like proposing free IVF, IVF that would be paid for by the government insurance companies.
Do you think he's gaining any ground there? Not yet, and part of it is because he puts forward a proposal that may make sense, may not make sense, depending on the viewer, but then it's wrapped around in other rhetoric, whether it's by here or J.D. Vance, that basically sends a real warning sign to women. And I know we'll talk about this issue as well.
Then you have problems of other Republican candidates, Mark Robinson in North Carolina being the key example. That is a bright red flashing light that says do not enter if you're a woman. And that's what I hear from Republican women in the state. Yeah, well, since you brought up Mark Robinson, let's talk about it.
CNN is reporting that there is new evidence that he posted on an adult website some very controversial statements, which I cannot repeat here. So we'll just talk about it at the 30,000 foot level. But, Ashanti, in fact, now pollsters are looking at this and saying instead of this being a lead Republican, this is a lead Democrat. It's a likely Democratic race for the gubernatorial race.
And North Carolina, a critical state. Democrats haven't won it since 2008. Yes, a very critical state. You know, I read a little bit of it and wow, that is some wild stuff.
That's all I can really say. That was some wild stuff. But it also shows how important these statewide races are and these local races are. And we just saw the Harris-Wallace campaign and the DNC invest $25 million to state and local races because we know it's about the presidency, but it is also about what is happening in these states, such as North Carolina.
I know the Black Women's Leadership Collective just hosted a statewide call with 500 black women who were really jazzed about Vice President Harris, Coach Walls, but also that governor's race. They know that there is so much at stake and it is going to have an impact. And I'd argue that that race was already sort of decided or certainly likely Democrat anyways, but Mark Robinson hasn't had any money, so he can't drive voters to the poll as well. And the people that are nervous, they're not nervous about that race.
It's how does he end that race and the lack of funding affect the Trump-Harris race? Yeah, and he, I should say, has denied the claims. He says he's not dropping out of the race. Benji Serlin, you are very focused on a number of issues, including health care, and including recent comments made by J.D.
Vance that seem to at least get a little bit ahead of what we've heard from former President Trump on his health care policy. I want to play a little bit of it, get everyone's reaction on the other side. No American doesn't have the same health care needs as a 65-year-old American. A 65-year-old American in good health has much different health care needs than a 65-year-old American with a chronic condition.
We want to make sure everybody is covered, but the best way to do that is to actually promote some more choice in our health care system and not have a one-size-fits-all approach that puts a lot of people into the same insurance pools, into the same risk pools, that actually makes it harder for people to make the right choices for their families. So, Benji, what's notable about that is that he seemed to be opening the door to potentially saying that a Trump administration would get rid of coverage for people with preexisting conditions. What did you hear? What is your reporting telling you?
So that line, You have a new president in Iran who is talking about wanting to talk to the U.S. and to the West, though, with very limited conditions. Exactly what Iran wants here, and that is one of the crucial questions. Another one being, of course, what Israel wants.
What Iran wants here is very, very difficult to figure out right now. Is it signaling to Hezbollah not to escalate this? And there will be different sides within the Iranian regime with different views about what exactly, what Iran should do at this stage. But, of course, what Israel is trying to signal is that a full-scale confrontation with it by Hezbollah, that Hezbollah would lose and that ultimately Iran would lose.
Kirsten, thank you so much for your great reporting. Please stay safe there. We really appreciate it. It's good to see you.
Still to come inside the battle to win Pennsylvania and the battle to secure the vote and protect election workers in one of 2024's most crucial swing states. My one-on-one interview with Pennsylvania's top election official is next. Stay with us. You're watching Meet the Press Now.
Welcome back. The FBI, along with the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, is now investigating a series of suspicious packages and threatening letters sent to election officials in at least six states. Earlier this week, secretaries of state, attorneys general and state election officials received the envelopes, causing some offices to evacuate.
The return address identified the sender as the U.S. Traitor Elimination Army. So far, none of the packages have been found to contain any actual hazardous material. It comes as secretaries of state gathered in Michigan today to discuss how they are securing the election in their states ahead of November.
And I'm joined now by the secretary of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Al Schmidt, who participated in that forum. He, of course, oversees the election in that critical battleground state. Thank you so much for joining me. Really appreciate it.
Thank you for having me. I want to start off by getting your reaction to something back in 2020. Of course, Donald Trump specifically mentioned you in a tweet over the handling of vote counting in Pennsylvania. He just recently wrote earlier this month, quote, when I win, those people that cheated will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law, which will include long term prison sentences.
Please be aware that this legal exposure extends to lawyers, political operatives, donors, illegal voters and corrupt election officials. What was your reaction to seeing that threat coming from the Republican nominee? Well, elections in Pennsylvania are run within the confines of the law, both at the county level and the state level. And as I've moved around the country meeting county to county to county with the election directors, with their county commissioners, the people who have who really have the responsibility for running elections at the county level.
I am very encouraged that everyone is preparing for a smooth election and obviously doing everything by the book. Well, and that leads to my next question, which is that earlier this year, Governor Shapiro tapped you to lead the state's election threats task force. What steps have you taken ahead of November and what have you been seeing in terms of threats to election workers? A lot of states, including ours, have had some lessons learned from how the political environment has changed in the last several years.
One of those things is the Shapiro administration setting up an elections threat task force in Pennsylvania so that if any of the ugliness does reoccur that we experienced in 2020, everyone will be ready. Everybody knows what everybody else's responsibilities are, whether it's the people responsible for running elections or law enforcement. And if we encounter any of that seeking to intimidate our voters or our election workers, law enforcement will do its job so our election workers can do the job that only they can do, which is counting our voters' votes in our democracy. And of course, all eyes are going to be on Pennsylvania, one of the biggest prizes in 2024.
We all remember back in 2020, it did take several days to finish counting all of the ballots. It was Saturday when there was a final count. And of course, that fueled some of those claims that we saw from former President Trump. What has been done to try to get the ballots counted more quickly?
Are you confident they will be this time around? Well, unfortunately, Pennsylvania has not had any election law reforms that would make that process go forward more expeditiously, as it does in many other states that allow canvassing of those ballots in advance of election day. So on election day, they're reporting the results. In Pennsylvania, that process can't begin until 7 a.m.
on election morning, the very first step of it. So I would encourage your viewers to remember that if you hear anything about delayed election results in Pennsylvania, it's not a delay at all. It's simply how long it takes to count millions of votes. And so just to be clear, it could take several days to count all of the ballots in Pennsylvania again this cycle, just to be clear.
And as you say, to prepare voters for that possibility. Well, like every election, whether it's a presidential or not, it all comes down to how close an election is before you all call who won and who lost. And there's a consensus around that. It always takes many days and has always taken many days to count votes in Pennsylvania and every other state.
It's just how many votes can you count with integrity and expeditiously before the outcome is certain. And unfortunately, we're out of time, but we should say you participated in a form of secretaries of state today to talk about all of these pressing issues. We really appreciate your joining us to bring us all the latest information. Secretary of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Al Schmidt, appreciate your time very much.
I am back with more Meet the Press Now. Tomorrow, the news continues with Hallie Jackson right now.