Cry me a river? Rachel Maddow's tears during migrant piece get mixed reaction
MSNBC anchor Rachel Maddow broke down in tears over a piece on children of illegal migrants. While some expressed sympathy, others accused her of hypocrisy and staged emotions.
“This is incredible,” the host of ‘The Rachel Maddow Show’ uttered live on air on Tuesday when she began reading the recent scoop by the AP on children of detained illegal migrants. The story detailed how babies and youngsters, forcibly separated from their parents by border control, reportedly get transferred to the so-called “tender-age” shelters.
As Maddow read the report, she appeared to become distressed. The Emmy-winning political commentator clearly couldn’t hold her composure, bursting into tears. “I think I’m going to have to hand this off,” she said sobbingly after a few attempts to pull herself together.
Maddow later apologized to the viewers on Twitter for failing to keep her emotions under control. “Ugh, I'm sorry. If nothing else, it is my job to actually be able to speak while I'm on TV,” she wrote.
The segment went viral, with some people expressing sympathy towards Maddow’s reaction.
There's nothing to be sorry for. You showed your humanity. Nobody could read that story and not be that upset. You were seeing it for the first time, no warning, and you proved why we love you.
— Questergirl (@Questergirl) 20 июня 2018 г.
You don’t owe anybody an apology. Sometimes, bravery takes the form of tears.
— Rebecca Currans (@bekcat) 20 июня 2018 г.
Not everyone believed her, though – with some users ridiculing Maddow and suggesting that her breakdown was staged.
Taken straight from the Chuck Schumer book of how to fake cry on national television.
— Mike Mason (@MikeMason830) 20 июня 2018 г.
Maddow also got accused of harboring ‘double standards’. Some Twitter users questioned why the host shed didn't shed tears when she saw the footage from migrant detention centers and anti-deportation rallies during the Obama administration.
Where were Rachel Maddow's crocodile tears when families were separated under George W. Bush and Barack Obama? They don't give a damn about children - they care about a political agenda. pic.twitter.com/z94QCrvniU
— Stefan Molyneux (@StefanMolyneux) 20 июня 2018 г.
Where were Rachel Maddow's tears in 2014 when Obama detained mothers and children?These photos are from the Obama-era. pic.twitter.com/FHsQg1xuYu
— Ryan Saavedra 🇺🇸 (@RealSaavedra) 20 июня 2018 г.
Rachel Maddow cries on TV because kids are separated from their illegal parentsRemember when she cried when Obama did this?Remember when she cried for Kate Steinle?Remember when she cried when Obama deported over 3M illegals?I don’t. Maddow has selective crying disorder.
— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) 20 июня 2018 г.
The family-separation policy at the US-Mexico border has polarized the nation, becoming one of the most debated topics. Human rights groups accuse authorities of cruelty, while the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) defends the practice. Around 2,000 children of illegal migrants have been separated from their parents in the last six weeks, according to the DHS figures.
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