Sen. Chris Murphy (D-CT) accused President Trump on Saturday of “deliberately killing people.”
“Can we take the gloves off and tell the truth? Trump is deliberately killing people,” Murphy wrote on Twitter. “He holds rallies where people get infected. On Thursday, no social distancing or masks, sending a clear message that the CDC should be ignored.”
“His plan is to kill people. Let’s just say it,” Murphy added.
Can we take the gloves off and tell the truth?
Trump is deliberately killing people.
He holds rallies where people get infected. On Thursday, no social distancing or masks, sending a clear message that the CDC should be ignored.
His plan is to kill people. Let's just say it.
— Chris Murphy (@ChrisMurphyCT) August 29, 2020
Murphy also took aim at members of Trump’s cabinet and guests at the White House who attended the president’s speech as he accepted the GOP nomination from the Republican National Convention (RNC), accusing them of being “stone-cold killers” who will be responsible for the “next 50,000 people” who die from COVID-19.
“These guys are stone cold killers. The next 50,000 people who die are their responsibility. They sat right next to each other and didn’t wear masks intentionally. They knew they were setting an example that would be followed and they reveled in it. STONE. COLD. KILLERS.”
These guys are stone cold killers. The next 50,000 people who die are their responsibility.
They sat right next to each other and didn't wear masks intentionally. They knew they were setting an example that would be followed and they reveled in it.
STONE. COLD. KILLERS. pic.twitter.com/kUBUuRKFht
— Chris Murphy (@ChrisMurphyCT) August 28, 2020
After much criticism on Twitter, Murphy wrote six more posts to explain.
I know what I wrote below sounds harsh. But I stand by it and I want to explain why. 1/ From the start of the epidemic, Trump has mostly refused to wear a mask and engage in social distancing. He often does this very publicly and brazenly (like in Oklahoma City).
2/ His RNC speech was his biggest stage. 23m watched. The question is – WHY did Trump choose not to socially distance guests or require them to wear masks, as his own CDC guidelines below recommend? There seems to be no good reason. He easily could have.
3/ He and his advisors KNEW the consequences of brazenly thumbing their nose at their own CDC. They know viewers follow his example, and thus it will now be impossible to convince many people social distancing/masks are important. Bc Trump has made it crystal clear they AREN’T.
4/ And they KNOW that masks/social distancing have proven to save lives (see the NIH Director below). So for no good reason, they chose a path that will make it harder to beat COVID, and would lead to more people dying. They made this choice, consciously.
5/ Think of it this way – say you told your wife you’re going to drive to the grocery store, and on the way ignore all the stoplights. You don’t have a good reason – you just want to get to the store faster. She tells you before you leave that you’re going to get people killed.
6/ But you do it anyway, and you run over people. You had no good reason to be reckless. You knew the consequences beforehand and did it anyway. You’d be rightly called a killer. The difference btwn you and Trump is that you killed 3 or 4. Trump’s actions killed thousands.