Sen. Murphy’s Claim Of Trump’s ‘Dizzying Campaign To Increase Violence’ Surprises CNN’s Dana Bash

In the aftermath of a mass shooting at Brown University, Democratic Connecticut Sen. Chris Murphy appeared to surprise CNN host Dana Bash on Sunday’s “State of the Union” episode by claiming President Donald Trump is on a “dizzying campaign to increase violence.”

At least two people were declared dead by officials and at least nine others were injured after a mass shooting occurred Saturday evening on Brown University’s campus. A manhunt broke out for a suspect allegedly wearing all black; officials announced Sunday morning a person of interest in his 30s was taken into custody.

Officials have not released further information as the investigation is ongoing.

Discussing renewed calls for Congress to act on tighter gun restrictions, Bash observed how Rhode Island already “has some pretty strict laws,” adding that the issue had become “much more than gun violence.”

Murphy responded by insisting “laws do make a difference,” arguing that states like Connecticut, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, and California lowered their gun violence, murder, and mass shooting rates because of strict gun laws. After praising his party’s efforts, the Democratic senator then claimed Trump has engaged in a violence “campaign” since his return to public office.

“But this is not shocking, because over the last year, President Trump has been engaged in a dizzying campaign to increase violence in this country. He is restoring gun rights to felons and people who have lost their ability to buy guns. He eliminated the White House Office of Gun Violence Protection,” Murphy said.

“And he has stopped funding mental health grants and community anti-gun violence grants that Republicans and Democrats supported in that 2022 bill. So he has been engaged in a pretty deliberate campaign to try to make violence more likely in this country,” Murphy added. “And I think you’re, unfortunately, going to see the results of that on the streets of America.”

Democrats have long advocated for stricter gun laws, with states like California — under full Democratic control for the last 15 years — upholding some of the toughest regulations for gun owners. Following mass shootings, Democrats and media pundits have routinely publicly advocated for additional restrictions, often calling out Republicans and President Trump over their opposition to their efforts.

Bash then highlighted Murphy’s accusation and asked him to clarify what he meant about the president’s agenda.

“That’s a pretty big statement. He’s in a campaign ‘to make violence more likely?’” Bash asked.

“Of course,” Murphy responded. “I mean, he’s knowingly restoring gun rights to dangerous people. He is cutting off grants that have bipartisan support to try to interrupt violence in our cities or to try to get necessary mental health resources to families and children in need. The evidence tells you that when you stop funding mental health, when you stop funding community anti-gun violence programs, when you give gun rights back to dangerous people, you are gonna have an increase in violence that is knowable and that is foreseeable.”

Recent statistics of gun-related injuries show 46,728 people died from guns in 2023, based on information collected by the Pew Research Center from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The data shows 58% of all gun-related deaths in the U.S. were suicides and 38% were murders; the remaining incidents involved law enforcement, were accidental, or had undetermined circumstances.