HALLIE JACKSON: Getting some information now from a source close to the campaign, this is somebody who supports Donald Trump, and the early reaction upon hearing the developments tonight were in just a phrase, “What the hell are we doing?”
This person called it “dismaying,” not understanding sort of why this is happening, and the strategy here, particularly when, as this person said, “The backs are up against the wall” as Donald Trump's back most certainly is tonight.
Clearly, the campaign is leaning into this strategy. You are seeing these tweets, I don't know if we have them from Kellyanne Conway, a series of them, in which is she is directly tweeting at Hillary Clinton. This is Trump's campaign manager, talking about the women we do expect to see at some point in the debate hall here tonight.
I'll tell you, looking around, this is a small room. We know that the family members will be in the front closer to where this town hall is happening. We expect that the guests, almost all of whom have arrived, I'm looking around are here. I'm looking at maybe eight empty seats behind me, over to the side of where we are. We have not seen the women in the hall yet, but again, that is the expectation.
So, it's sort of a remarkable moment here, getting reaction from others in the Republican Party, top operatives, some of it not repeatable on television, frankly. as far as sort of the shock that people have that this is actually happening. So, I guess in just a couple of word, buckle up.
RACHEL MADDOW (HOST): So Hallie, just to be clear, you are talking to people who are Trump supporters, or who are close to the Trump campaign, who were blind sided by this, didn't know they were going to do it, are having a very negative reaction to it?
JACKSON: Yeah.
MADDOW: Negative to the point of profane? So it seems like this is coming from -- this is, what just happened, came from a very small subset of Trump world.
JACKSON: So, let me clarify just a couple of that sourcing there Rachel, because that's a good question. So, yes, the reaction is coming from one source that I have talked to who is close to the campaign, outside of the campaign, and a Trump loyalist, somebody who does vehemently back very, very vocally, back Donald Trump privately. So, it is somebody who is supporting the nominee, supporting the candidate, but not this particular decision at this point.
