SPEECHWRITER AND A TOP AIDE TO THE SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE.

YOU KNOW HIM AS THE LONGTIME HOST OF "HARDBALL."

PLEASE WELCOME BACK TO "THE LATE SHOW," MR. CHRIS MATTHEWS!

PLEASE WELCOME BACK TO "THE LATE SHOW," MR. CHRIS MATTHEWS!

CHRIS, GOOD TO HAVE YOU BACK.

HOW HAVE YOU BEEN?

>> I'VE BEEN GREAT.

YOU WERE GREAT LAST NIGHT.

MY GOD.

>> Stephen: OH, THANK YOU.

>> Stephen: WITH JOHN WE HAD A LOT OF FUN.

>> IT WAS GREAT TO HAVE HIM GET BACK AT MITCH McCONNELL.

MITCH McCONNELL, THE OLDEST RULE IN POLITICS IS SHOOT UP,

RIGHT.

McCONNELL SHOOTS HIM AND MAKES JOHN BIGGER THAN HIM.

IT'S THE DUMBEST MOVE I'VE EVER SEEN.

JON STEWART RIGHT NOW IS A BIGGER DEAL IN RETIREMENT FROM

"THE DAILY SHOW" THAN MITCH McCONNELL AS SENATE MAJORITY

LEADER.

HE'S A BIGGER DEAL.

>> Stephen: HEAR THAT, JON?

HEAR THAT?

HE SEEMS HAPPY.

HE LOOKS HAPPY.

>> IT'S TRUE.

IT'S SUCH A DUMB MOVE, DUMB MOVE.

>> Stephen: SPEAKING OF DUMB MOVES.

TRUMP LAUNCHED HIS RE-ELECTION CAMPAIGN TODAY.

>> DIZZ NIGH WORLD.

>> Stephen: YEAH, GOING ON DOWN THERE.

HIS POLLS, THE PEOPLE ARE TALKING ABOUT.

DO THEY MEAN ANYTHING?

>> WELL, BUT HIM, YOU KNOW, HIS POLLS HAVE NEVER BEEN GOOD.

PEOPLE DON'T LIKE SAYING THEY LIKE HIM.

THEY'RE EMBARRASSED.

AND IT'S MORE EMBARRASSING NOW, THE RACISM, THE TERRIBLE STUFF

HE SAYS.

NOBODY WANTS TO SAY, "YEAH, I'M WITH THAT."

I'M VERY SKEPTICAL.

I'M WORRIED.

I THINK IT WILL BE A REAL CLOSE ONE NEXT NOVEMBER.

TWO OR THREE OF THE DEMOCRATS I CAN SEE BEATING HIM.

OTHERS MIGHT BEAT HIM.

I THINK BIDEN CAN BEAT HIM.

WARREN MIGHT BEAT HIM.

I THINK BEAUT GEJ MIGHT COME ON STRONG.

>> Stephen: WHEN YOU HEAR HIM TALK, YOU HEAR THAT GUY TALK.

IT SEEMS LIKE A FRESH, HONEST, RESPONSIVE ANSWER.

>> WHEN I INTERVIEWED HIM A COUPLE OF TIMES I GOT THE

FEELING HE GOT MY QUESTION TWO DAYS AGO.

HE'S GOT AN ESSAY ALL WRITTEN OUT.

>> Stephen: IT'S THOSE DAMN RHODES SCHOLARS.

>> BUT RIGHT NOW-- CLINTON IS LIKE THAT, TOO.

RACHEL MADDOW SAY RHODES SCHOLAR.

THEY ALWAYS SEEM TO SPEAK IN PARAGRAPHS.

THEY'VE GOT IT ALL READY.

I THINK NOW IT'S LIKE BASKIN ROBBINS.

YOU GO IN IT'S 31 FLAVORS.

I TRIED BETO LAST WEEK.

I THINK I'LL TRUE BUTTEIEG NEXT WEEK.

WITH THE DEBATES THERE WILL BE 10 ONE NIGHT, 10 THE NEXT TIGHT.

IT'S WORTH IT AS A CITIZEN TO JUST SIT AND WATCH THIS THING--

I'M SELLING RIGHT NOW.

IT'S OUR NETWORK.

>> Stephen: NBC AND MSNBC ARE CARRYING IT.

>> YOU WILL SIT THERE FOR TWO HOURS AND THE NEXT NIGHT TWO

HOURS-- BUTTEIEG RIGHT NEXT TO BIDEN.

I LOVE THAT THEY CLEVERLY -- >> Stephen: THAT'S NIGHT TWO.

IT'S BIDEN AND AND BERNIE.

AND BUTTEIEG.

THE THREE B'S.

>> YOU'LL BE ABLE TO WATCH THIM THEM IN ONE SHOT.

BIDEN WILL GET HIT AND START TALKING ABOUT GRANDPA FINNEGAN

BEGAN.

>> Stephen: WHO GRANDPA FINNEGAN.

>> THAT'S BIDEN.

HE ALWAYS COMES BACK TO THAT STUFF.

>> Stephen: WHY DO YOU THINK BIDEN IS OUT FRONT?

WARREN IS FAMOUS AND HAS HER PASSIONATE BASE.

BERNIE IS THE GUY-- HE'S NEXT IN LINE IF YOU LOOK AT IT THAT WAY,

THE GUY-- >> YOU HAVE EVER EMPTY BIDEN?

>> Stephen: YES.

>> HE'S LIKE THE MOST NORMAL GUY.

LIKE AMTRAK, ANYBODY WHO TAKES THE ACELA ON THE EAST COAST

KNOWS EVERYBODY WHO WORKS THAT TRAIN KNOWS HIM PERSONALLY.

YOU TALK TO THE WOMAN WHO SELLS THE COFFEE AND SHE SAYS, "HE'S

ALWAYS GETTING HIS PICTURE TAKEN WITH MY MOTHER."

THAT'S BIDEN HE'S VERY LIKABLE.

>> Stephen: IT'S NOSTALGIA, TOO, RIGHT.

GUBACK FOUR YEARS BEFORE ORANGE THANOS SHOWED UP.

( LAUGHTER ).

>> BUT YOU KNOW, HE WAS SORT OF ED McMAHON TO BARACK OBAMA FOR

EIGHT YEARS GLI WOULD TAKE ED McMAHON.

>> HE PUT THE "O" IN OBAMA.

HE WAS LIKE THE IRISH GUY HANGING AROUND WITH THE AFRICAN

AMERICAN PRESIDENT, AND THEY WORKED TOGETHERAISE A TEAM, AND

I THINK EVERYBODY, AMERICAN AMERICAN AND WHITE VOTERS ARE

ALL REMEMBER THAT VERY NICE RELATIONSHIP.

AND I THINK THEY FELT GOOD ABOUT IT.

AND I THINK THEY WANT SOMETHING LIKE THAT AGAIN.

THEY FEEL GOOD ABOUT IT.

>> Stephen: WHY DO YOU THINK WARREN IS SURGING?

>> IDEALS.

SHE'S AN ENGINE OF IDEAS.

I THINK SHE'S VERY CAREFUL TO SAY, "I'M NOT A SOCIALIST.

I'M A REFORMER.

I WANT TO FIX THINGS, BUT I DO BELIEVE IN THE MARKET SYSTEM AS

THE BASIS.

I WANT TO REDISTRIBUTE THE WEALTH.

I DON'T WANT TO KILL THE WEALTH.

I THINK SHE'S VERY SMART.

AND I THINK PEOPLE ARE GOING TO LISTEN TO HER.

I THINK THESE GOING TO BE SOMETHING TO WATCH.

THERE ARE SOME PRETTY OF PRETTY GOOD CANDIDATES THERE.

AND I THINK, YOU KNOW-- WE'RE ASKING SO MANY-- THERE ARE 20 OF

THEM, 23, ACTUALLY.

SOME PEOPLE DIDN'T GET IN THE LIST.

>> Stephen: A SITTING GOVERNOR OF MONTANA.

>> HE'S GOOD.

I THOUGHT HE WAS GOING TO BE THE HOT TICKET THIS TIME.

NEXT FEBRUARY, 20-- 1920-- WHICH IS NOT THAT FAR-- 2020 IT'S

GOING TO BE DOWN TO ONE OF TWO.

SOMEBODY WILL WIN IOWA, SOMEBODY WILL WIN NEW HAMPSHIRE, AND IF

THAT'S THE SAME PERSON, LOOK OUT.

I THINK ELISABETH WARREN CAN WIN IOWA, BECAUSE SHE'S VERY

AGGRESSIVE, VERY PROGRESSIVE, ACTIVISTS SHOW UP.

WE KNOW HOW IT WORKS.

THE MORE MODERATE PEOPLE DON'T SHOW UP.

SHE GOES TO HAMP, HOME COURT.

GOES TO NEVADA A BIG LABOR STATE.

SHE COULD WIN THREE IN A ROW.

SHE'S THE ONE WHO COULD START REALLY FAST.

I THINK SHE'LL BLOW OUT BERNIE EARLY ON.

BERNIE WILL LOSE HIS VOTES TO HER.

BIDEN'S TRICK WILL BE CAN HE HANG IN THERE AND BASICALLY DO

ROPE-A-DOPE FOR FOUR OR FIVE CONTESTS AND STILL NUMBER THE

RACE WHEN HE'S LOST THREE OR FOUR UP FRONG'RE FRONT.

HE'LL APPEAL TO THE MODERATE, SOUTHERN COOND OF VOTER, MORE

CONSERVATIVE DEMOCRAT.

HE CAN HANG IN THERE.

THIS IS PROJECTING A YEAR-- BUT I DID SAY THIS ABOUT A YEAR AND

A HALF AGO SO I STILL BELIEVE IT.

>> Stephen: SO WHEN YOU MAKE PREDICTIONS NORMALLY A YEAR AND

A HALF AHEAD OF TIME ARE, THEY ACCURATE?

>> THEY'RE ALWAYS ACCURATE BECAUSE I'M THE ONLY ONE THAT

REMEMBERS THEM.

( LAUGHTER ).

>> Stephen: WELL, WHAT CAN YOU DO-- WHAT CAN THESE PEOPLE IN

THESE TWO DEBATES -- AGAIN, IT'S 20 OF THE CANDIDATES OVER THE

COURSE OF TWO NIGHTS.

WE'LL BE LIVE-- WE'RE GOING TO BE WATCHING IT LIVE OURSELVES

HERE.

AND WHAT CAN THEY DO TO DIFFERENTIATE THEMSELVES?

HOW WILL THEY COME OUT OF THE GATE.

WHAT IS IT THEY HAVE TO DO?

>> COME OUT STRONG.

COME OUT STRONG.

PEOPLE WANT TO SEE ENERGY, THAT THEY'RE GLAD YOU'RE THERE.

SHOW TIME-- LOOK LIKE YOU LOVE TO BE THERE.

YOU HAVE TO BE THERE.

THIS IS IMPORTANT!

AND I THINK WHEN BOAB KENNEDY GAVE ADVICE TO JACK KENNEDY,

THIS BIG GREAT DEBATE WITH NIXON.

YOU KNOW WHAT HE SAID, HE LOVED HIS BROTHER, JACK.

HE'S GOING OUT TO DEBATE, THE VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED

STATES, YOU KNOW WHAT HE SAID TO HIM?

"KICK HIM IN THE BALLS."

AND I'LL TELLUE ( CHEERS AND APPLAUSE )

THAT'S WHAT HE SAID.

AND I'M TELLING YOU, THAT'S THE RIGHT ADVICE.

GO FOR THE KILL.

TAKE DOWN THE ONE-- SO I WOULD EXPECT BUTTEIG AND BETO THEY'LL

GO AFTER BIDEN.

I EXPECT ELISABETH WILL FIND A WAY TO GRAB FRONT LINE, BE FIRST