MSNBC’s Mika Brzezinski fought back tears during Wednesday’s “Morning Joe” as the panel discussed the shooting at Robb Elementary School in Ulvade, Texas.
The shooting occurred before noon, Tuesday, when 18-year-old Salvador Ramos opened fire inside a classroom killing at least 19 students and 2 adults, according to police. Brzezinski tearfully said journalists covering tragic stories learn “not to feel,” then said the shooting at the Sandy Hook Elementary school and the most recent incident led her to express her emotions.
“I’ve got to feel, I got to allow this to go over the line,” Brzezinski said in reference to Sandy Hook. “And then this, honestly, we’re sitting around here, we’re so frustrated and I don’t want to stop feeling, I don’t want to survive this story and move on to the next. I don’t want to move on. I don’t think anybody wants to move on until something actually happens.”
The host then blamed former President Donald Trump for desensitizing news networks and journalists to tragic and “unacceptable” incidents. (RELATED: Democrats, Liberals Jump At The Opportunity To Politicize Horrific Shooting)
“But there is a kind of desensitization that we have in this business as reporters and I will say this, I’m sorry, but also in the age of Trump where he kind of desensitized all of us to a lot of things that were unacceptable and it’s time to actually stop, and think, and feel and expect something to happen,” she continued.
MSNBC contributor Mike Barnicle said millions of Americans are crying at night due to Tuesday’s shooting. He then said the “harsh reality” is that politicians will express sadness on the Senate floor and a National Rifle Association (NRA) convention in Houston, Texas, this weekend will be attended by Republican senators.
“There will be candles lit at vigils held at dusk all throughout the country tonight maybe, maybe this weekend,” Barnicle said. “People who hold the candles, they’ll tie little ribbons around the posts and telephone poles in their town to memorialize the victims of what happened yesterday in Uvalde, Texas”
“And then fast forward, there’ll be ball games to go to, Memorial Day picnics to attend, there’ll be almost instant amnesia in this country about what happened because there always is. And then the United States Senate and the United States Representatives will get back to work, they’ll come back in after their latest recess. Perhaps it’s next week or the week after, and nothing will happen. Nothing will occur. No legislation will be passed. No emergency will be met. No lives will be memorialized 10 days from now,” he continued. “It will be business as usual and that, ladies and gentleman, is who we are.”