‘You’re Still Muted’: Al Sharpton Cuts to Commercial After Rep. Gabe Amo’s Microphone Fails Live

Al Sharpton's PoliticsNation Interrupted By Technical Glitch

Al Sharpton’s PoliticsNation cut to an unusually early commercial break Saturday after Rep. Gabe Amo (D-RI) experienced a live-audio failure during the program’s opening segment.

Sharpton opened the show intending to discuss President Donald Trump’s recent remarks about Somali immigrants, which Sharpton described as part of an "unprecedented assault" on basic civil liberties. He brought Rep. Gabe Amo on to respond, but Amo’s microphone failed to transmit to viewers.

After Sharpton asked for Amo’s reaction, the congressman began speaking but his audio could not be heard. "I don’t hear ’em," Sharpton told producers on air. Moments later he said, "You’re muted, congressman, you’re muted." An aide leaned into Amo’s camera feed to try to restore sound, but the attempt did not succeed.

Sharpton reacted with a quip — "They’ve been trying to quiet me for years, so I know the feeling" — before telling viewers they would "try to straighten it out" and cutting to a commercial break just 2 minutes and 29 seconds after the show began. The program returned roughly four minutes later, and Amo resumed his interview.

Amo Responds To Trump

Once audio was restored, Rep. Amo strongly condemned the president’s remarks as part of a sustained attack on people of color. "This is a continuation of Donald Trump and his attacks on people of color — specifically the African community and people across this country who work hard and are trying to build a good life in this country," Amo said. He added that Trump has moved "from a dog whistle to a loud dog bark," and criticized the Oval Office for providing a platform for "hatred and racist remarks that really undermine our values here in this country."

Context: Trump’s Comments And A Related Report

The segment followed comments by President Trump, in which he said he did not want Somalis like Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) moving to the U.S. Trump said, "They contribute nothing. I don’t want them in our country, I’ll be honest with you... I don’t care. Their country is no good for a reason." He also attacked Rep. Omar directly, saying she has "complain[ed] about our Constitution" and calling her a "terrible person."

"They contribute nothing. I don’t want them in our country, I’ll be honest with you... I don’t care. Their country is no good for a reason." — President Donald Trump

Those remarks came days after a New York Times report that, according to federal prosecutors, some Somalis in Minnesota allegedly ran a fraud scheme that stole "more than $1 billion in taxpayers’ money." The allegation is from prosecutors and has been reported by the Times; legal processes and reporting continue to develop.

What Happened Next: After the brief interruption, Sharpton and Amo resumed the discussion, with Amo delivering a measured but forceful critique of Trump’s rhetoric and its implications for immigrant communities.