Thomas Coughlan: NZ Herald Deputy Political Editor on crowds at Harris HQ emptying out

Kamala Harris will not speak tonight. Donald Trump is making his way towards his headquarters. 

NZ Herald Deputy Political Editor Thomas Coughlan is at Harris’ HQ and tells Heather du Plessis-Allan the space has been largely empty throughout the night, and many campaign staff are heading out. 

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Okay, we're hearing we're just going to go straight to
Thomas one. That little stingy thing didn't work. We're hearing.
Kamala Harris, by the way, is not planning on speaking tonight.
Donald Trump is on his way to his party. Thomas
Coglin is at the Kamala Harris HQ. Hey Thomas, Hey, Ever,
what's the vibe? I heard that they killed the CNN
feed and the pumping the music to try to hype
you guys up.

Speaker 2 (00:20):
Yeah, that's pumping Adele Heather who comes adle to get
people hyped up?

Speaker 1 (00:25):
Is it a sad adele song? Or is it like
a happy breakup song?

Speaker 2 (00:28):
Well, it was rolling in the deeps, which it like
it's upseeat but the lyrics coming room yep, you know, yep.
So I have to say it didn't work. But what
I'm looking at right now is so the bit in
front of the stage of Kamala Harris was due to speak,
that bit of the that that bit of the university
who had been empty most of the night. In about
eleven o'clock, Kamala Harris's campaign staff filed in Getting Radio.

(00:52):
I suppose maybe the here speak, maybe a couple of
hundred of them filed them or wearing MVP lanyards. I'm
now watching them fire loud again. A lot of those,
a lot of those campaign staff appear to be sort
of giving up now. Whether that's there's definitely an indication
that she's not speaking tonight. Does does sort of feel
like I'm getting that way? You know, I don't even
know that that's regardless. I'm watching maybe fifty or sixty

(01:15):
campaign staff just leave. Elsewhere in the university, there maybe
a couple of thousand students students here, and they are
just quiet. You know, have you ever seen two thousand
students be absolutely quiet?

Speaker 1 (01:28):
What does this tell you, Thomas? Is this like an
acceptance that it's all over and there is no chance?
Or or is like is there just the outside of
people believe in there's an outside chance?

Speaker 2 (01:39):
No? I I mean, look look at studentistically. You've got
to look at those numbers and say, like, credibly, there
is a there is a tiny path to victory for
Kamala Harris. But but obviously it's pretty narrow, and it
looks like, by far and away, the most likely outcome
of this election is that Donald Trump's got a whim
and actually divine on the ground here is I think acceptance.

(02:03):
I think they're looking at that New York Times needle.
They're looking at the pathway the victory narrowing, and the
vibe here feels very much like they have accepted that
this is that, that this is probably all over. Interestingly enough,
Kamala Harris's campaign chairs seem to have an emails maybe
half an hour forty five minutes ago saying that that
that they always thought the path the victory would lie

(02:24):
through there those blue Wall states Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, and Michigan.
So that's still hanging on to that host. But gosh,
I mean, I'm just, as I'm talking to you, even
more campaigns to have the leaving. But that's you know, honestly,
Donald Trump looks like he's doing pretty well in those states,
but even that pathway downrom Bojacks, Right.

Speaker 1 (02:41):
Yeah, Now, we were told earlier that she was going
to speak, and now she's not going to speak. So
what happened was that just a miscommunication or was she
actually planning to speak and changed her mind.

Speaker 2 (02:50):
I'm not I actually don't have information on there. I haven't.
We're in the media, tendon that's keeping us in the
jars and all this. I had heard that she was
going to speak regardless, because obviously it's pretty important to
say something as concession or something. But you know this
this campaign email from from the campaign chess to muddy things,

(03:10):
because that suggests that, you know, a bit like a
bit like last year, they're still seeing a pathway to
victory that that they want to make sure as they're
both absolutely closed off before they are for any kind
of confession. It's also it's just approaching midnight here, so
maybe they're thinking it's a bit late and they'll do
what what Hillary Clinton did in twenty sixteen, speak in
the morning. So yeah, it's an interesting one. At least

(03:31):
forty five minutes ago, the campaign was still telling people
that they you know, that that the pathway the victory
that they thought was their main pathway the victory there
scenario number one. They thought that was still open to them.
But so, Thomas, what's your plan anyone he believe that.

Speaker 1 (03:45):
How long are you going to stick around listening to Adele?

Speaker 2 (03:49):
Well, I mean, I'm they've changed the Adele and I'm
hoping they keep changing the music up. I have heard
the same song Spike. Now I'm just I'm an to
stay here until it's over.

Speaker 1 (04:02):
He might be there for a long time. Thomas, thank
you very much. Thank you. I really appreciate here a trooper.
Thomas Coblan, the deputy political editor at the Herald. For
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