MSNBC's Rachel Maddow showed what many would hope everyone would feel at the thought of babies and young children ripped away from their parents and families: human compassion.
During a segment of The Rachel Maddow Show on Tuesday, June 19, Maddow uncontrollably choked up as she discussed what's happening at the Mexico-United States border. As the Associated Press reported, the Trump administration has been sending babies and young children to "tender age" shelters in the southern region of Texas after forcibly separating them from their parents at the border.
Maddow struggled as she reported how lawyers and medical providers described the scenes at three "tender age" shelters housing babies and young children. According to the AP, the shelters are playrooms with "crying preschool-age children in crisis."
"I think I'm going to have to hand this off…" Maddow said as she choked up.
This is Rachel Maddow upon getting the breaking news that Trump has established detention centers for babies who've been forcefully taken from their parents.
FULL STORY: https://t.co/By54MCjWmQ
pic.twitter.com/OX2XBNVKM4— Shaun King (@ShaunKing) June 20, 2018
Many viewers, activists, journalists and celebrities have shared clips of Maddow's segment on social media to prove further that the border control crisis should be objectively horrifying – mainly since many perceive the host as ordinarily being stoic. Since the Trump administration's "zero-tolerance" policy was enacted in early May, border agents have separated at least 2,300 immigrant children from their parents and families.
Last night Rachel Maddow cried the tears of 300 million people. My essay on her brave moment of integrity — she would not repeat the news our vile Leader wanted read: https://t.co/50ODknioJc
pic.twitter.com/mleYbtZNcp— Michael Moore (@MMFlint) June 20, 2018
Watching Rachel @maddow not even be able to speak, but literally break down crying talking about Trump’s latest development of “tender age” detainment of seemingly infants to toddlers has me a little shaken, sad, and disturbed.
— Jarrett Hill (@JarrettHill) June 20, 2018
John and I have watched this show for a long, long time now. DVR’ed every night. And I’ve never ever seen her cry. “Summer camp”. “Womp womp”. FUCK these heartless people. https://t.co/ysecicCauy
— christine teigen (@chrissyteigen) June 20, 2018
Maddow later tweeted an apology for choking up on air:
Ugh, I'm sorry.
If nothing else, it is my job to actually be able to speak while I'm on TV.
What I was trying to do — when I suddenly couldn't say/do anything — was read this lede:
1/6
— Rachel Maddow MSNBC (@maddow) June 20, 2018
All from this Associated Press story that broke while I was on the air tonight, but which I was unable to read on the air:https://t.co/2VBLTVxvQq
Again, I apologize for losing it there for a moment. Not the way I intended that to go, not by a mile.
— Rachel Maddow MSNBC (@maddow) June 20, 2018
"Again, I apologize for losing it there for a moment," she wrote in part. "Not the way I intended that to go, not by a mile."