Senator Chris Murphy (D-CT) has raised concerns about potential actions former President Donald Trump and his supporters might advocate following the tragic New Orleans truck attack that killed 14 people and injured dozens. The senator’s warnings come amid ongoing debates about the nation’s response to domestic terrorism.
Murphy’s caution came on Thursday as Trump and other Republicans falsely blamed President Joe Biden’s immigration policies for the attack. Trump claimed the administration’s “open border policy” allowed authorities to miss critical warning signs. Similarly, House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-LA) pointed fingers at diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives, suggesting they played a role in the tragedy.
The Connecticut senator took to X (formerly Twitter) to warn about the direction he believes Trump’s MAGA supporters might take. “In the coming days, watch for autocracy-fetishizing MAGA figures who call on Trump to use ‘emergency powers’ or ‘domestic war powers’ (i.e., some form of martial law) to confront domestic terrorism,” Murphy wrote. “They aren’t out to destroy terrorists. They’re out to destroy the rule of law.”
Murphy emphasized that these calls for extreme measures could lead to significant erosion of democratic principles in the name of combating terrorism.
In another series of posts, Murphy condemned the New Orleans attack as a “horrific act of violence.” He also criticized Trump for spreading misinformation about the identity of the attacker.
“Trump is intentionally lying about the attacker being an immigrant – he wasn’t,” Murphy wrote. “Why does it matter? Because he is going to use episodes of violence to justify his crackdown on immigrants and dissent – whether the facts line up or not.”
Murphy’s statements come as debates intensify over how to address domestic terrorism without compromising civil liberties. His comments highlight concerns that misinformation and politically motivated narratives could be used to justify drastic measures that undermine the rule of law.
The New Orleans attack occurred when a man drove a pickup truck into a crowd in the French Quarter, a historic and heavily visited area. Authorities are still investigating the motive behind the attack, but early reports confirm that the suspect was not an immigrant, contradicting claims made by Trump and his allies.
Murphy’s warnings add to a growing conversation about how political figures and their rhetoric influence public perception and policy responses to such tragedies.
