Last month, Senator Chris Murphy, a Democrat from Connecticut, found himself fuming in his office as he watched President Trump attribute a recent deadly plane crash over the Potomac River to diversity mandates at the Federal Aviation Administration. His staff cautioned him against expressing his anger publicly.
They pointed out that the midair collision had occurred less than 12 hours earlier, with victims’ bodies still in the water and families still being notified about their loved ones’ deaths. Perhaps it would be more appropriate for a U.S. senator to act respectfully in light of the tragedy and its uncertainties rather than respond politically?
Mr. Murphy had no intention of holding back.
“Everyone in this country should be infuriated that Donald Trump is up there lying to you — willfully lying,” he stated in a passionate video he posted within half an hour of Mr. Trump’s press conference. “Each senator and congressional member ought to challenge him for this disgraceful behavior.”
Many joined in, but none did so as swiftly or succinctly as Mr. Murphy, 51, who has made his presence felt since Inauguration Day, vigorously opposing Mr. Trump while Democrats are still figuring out their strategy.
A seasoned politician, Mr. Murphy gained national recognition as a gun safety advocate after the Sandy Hook elementary school shooting in 2012. In the initial weeks of Mr. Trump’s second term, he has emerged as one of the most effective Democratic voices against an unrestrained president.
Through two-minute social media videos recorded in his Capitol Hill office, a continuous stream of updates on X, passionate speeches on the Senate floor, and essays on his Substack, Mr. Murphy aims to convey a straightforward message: America is facing a billionaire takeover of democracy.
He is also leveraging this moment to frame himself as a potential future leader of the Democrats, who find themselves navigating a complicated path of party revival while simultaneously resisting Mr. Trump.
“This is a monumental moment,” Mr. Murphy remarked in a recent interview at his Capitol Hill office. “Our political identity is fundamentally compromised, the rule of law is collapsing, and many are still unaware of Trump’s actual agenda.”
Over the past three years, Mr. Murphy has delved deep into the literature and philosophies of the “new right,” tuning into the “Red Scare” podcast and studying thinkers like Curtis Yarvin and Patrick Deneen. He credits this exploration with equipping him for Mr. Trump’s resurgence.
“It granted me insight into their thoughtful preparations for Day 1,” he explained.
Adam Green, the co-founder of the Progressive Change Campaign Committee, noted that Mr. Murphy has been decisive at a time when many Democratic officials feel outpaced. “He’s offering Democrats a blueprint for messaging against Trump and Musk that can win back working-class voters,” Green stated.
Mr. Murphy is transitioning out of the “boy wonder” phase of his political life (having been 33 when first elected to the House) and is perceived as more serious than charismatic. At a recent press event, he remained stoic while Senator Chuck Schumer, the Democratic minority leader from New York, made lighthearted jokes about his grandson losing a tooth, patiently waiting until it was his moment to speak.
Comedian Hasan Minhaj recently likened him to a McKinsey consultant, “merging seamlessly into congressional assemblies of white men, much like an arctic fox.”
At times, Mr. Murphy’s style resembles that of a high school history teacher delivering a civics lesson.
“Dictators and tyrants leverage law enforcement to enforce loyalty,” he stated in a video discussing the Justice Department’s decision to drop charges against Mayor Eric Adams of New York. “They intimidate with the threat of arrest for disloyalty and allow crimes to go unpunished for loyalty. That’s the reality in America today.”
Yet a constitutional crisis can provide a platform for a civics refresher, and Mr. Murphy appears to be making an impact.
In the last two months, he has seen his Instagram followers double across both his official and political accounts. Since January 1, Mr. Murphy’s presence on Facebook and Instagram has generated 29.2 million impressions. On Substack, his subscriber count has grown by 223 percent. His campaign has invested more in fundraising ads on Meta for 2025 than it did throughout the entire 2023-24 cycle when he was up for re-election.
“My 16-year-old son recently told me, ‘What’s happening? My friends are seeing your posts,’” Mr. Murphy recounted. “I’m appearing on a 16-year-old’s TikTok feed.”
This serves as one of his barometers for success.
“People are trying to grasp this moment,” he remarked. “They seek clarity from those who can articulate it in simple terms. I aim to create explanations and content for those who aren’t engaged with politics daily but recognize something is amiss and want to understand it.”
Mr. Murphy emphasizes that his efforts aren’t solely aimed at laying the groundwork for a presidential bid, partly because he believes it’s uncertain whether there will even be a race to contend in four years.
“Currently, there’s a clear risk that we may face a non-free and unfair election in 2028, and all our efforts are aimed at preventing that,” he stated.
Mr. Murphy envisions a future where “the press is so demoralized, and the opposition so harassed that mounting an opposition becomes virtually impossible.”
For a decade, gun violence has been the cornerstone of Mr. Murphy’s career; the 2012 tragedy at Sandy Hook Elementary occurred shortly after he secured a Senate seat, having served in the House since 2007. For years, he has urged his colleagues to campaign on the issue of gun safety, believing it to be a politically advantageous issue that many politicians avoid.
Following the pandemic, he focused on loneliness, calling it an epidemic and “one of the most pressing political challenges of our era.”
However, at this juncture, those topics have taken a back seat.
“The only thing that matters is whether we allow billionaires to dismantle our democracy,” he asserted. “Our political landscape is a ticking time bomb. It’s conceivable this could all be rigged by summer or fall.”
Therefore, Mr. Murphy has chosen to get animated to capture attention. He is engaging on YouTube, conversing with Hasan Minhaj and political influencers like Brian Tyler Cohen, Mehdi Hassan, and Jack Cocchiarella. He’s also active on Substack, dialoguing with Anand Giridharadas, on TikTok with Aaron Parnas, and participating in various podcasts, including one with Jon Favreau.
“TV appearances have limited immediate influence,” he noted. “The purpose of those appearances is essentially to create content that can live on elsewhere.”
Mr. Schumer, who has faced backlash from some progressive activists for not effectively countering Mr. Trump, has been encouraging Mr. Murphy to continue his efforts.
“Chris Murphy’s anger towards Trump is authentic, and he possesses a distinctive, powerful, and incredibly effective way of pushing back,” he stated.
Mr. Murphy is adapting to the changing political landscape. Recently, he has expressed concern that economic populists in Congress like Senators Bernie Sanders, an independent from Vermont, and Elizabeth Warren, a Democrat from Massachusetts, are unfairly labeled as radicals. He believes their ideas hold the greatest potential for appealing to voters currently aligned with Mr. Trump. However, in 2016, Mr. Murphy was an enthusiastic supporter of Hillary Clinton’s campaign against Mr. Sanders in a contentious Democratic primary.
The Democratic Party’s devastating losses in 2024, coupled with Mr. Trump’s overt abuses of power, have prompted Mr. Murphy to reconsider conventional political strategies. Currently, he is engaging with his Senate colleagues to convey that this is a moment for breaking away from traditional political norms.
“They do not merit the benefit of the doubt,” he has advised fellow Democrats regarding Mr. Trump and his supporters. “They deliberately conceal their actions to ensure that responsible, rational, fact-based voices remain silent.”
When Elon Musk made a gesture reminiscent of a Nazi salute on Inauguration Day, Mr. Murphy was not among those fretting over potential misinterpretations.
“It was absolutely a ‘Heil’ — a Hitler salute,” he affirmed. “Their consistent dishonesty leads us to assume the worst.”
