Rachel Maddow and Hillary Clinton Masterfully Handled A Protester At MSNBC Town Hall

Last updated on July 17th, 2023 at 06:56 pm

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A woman stood up to protest and ask Hillary Clinton about women and families who are being held in immigration detention facilities. Instead of having a meltdown of this unexpected occurrence, Maddow asked Clinton the woman’s question, and the Democratic frontrunner answered.

Video:

Transcript via MSNBC:

QUESTION: (OFF MIKE) the lives of the women that are (inaudible) right now?

MADDOW: This is outside of our forum (ph). Let me just rephrase the question for you. Tell me if I get it right. Asking about women and families in family — immigration detention facilities.

CLINTON: Yes, I’m against that. Absolutely I’m against that. I’ve been against it for a long time. I’ve said we should have family detention. We should end private prisons and private detention centers. They are wrong. We should end raids and roundups, and when I am president we are going to get comprehensive immigration reform with a path to citizenship. So we will end all of these problems at the time we are successful.

Clinton and Maddow could have handled the woman’s question a million different ways, but they picked the best one. Clinton didn’t go all Donald Trump and start screaming to get her out of there. Maddow didn’t ignore the woman or ask that she be removed. Instead, Maddow rephrased the woman’s question, and the Democratic frontrunner answered.

The woman who asked the question was treated with respect by both Maddow and Clinton. It was the perfect way to handle the situation. Rachel Maddow demonstrated why she is one of the best journalists on cable news, and Hillary Clinton exhibited a temperament that was the complete opposite of the way that Republicans typically handle immigration protesters.

It was a single moment that revealed a great deal about the professionalism and character of both Rachel Maddow and Hillary Clinton.

Jason Easley

Jason is the managing editor. He is also a White House Press Pool and a Congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.

Awards and  Professional Memberships

Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association