Democratic Sen. Chris Murphy of Connecticut faced a pointed question from CNN’s Anderson Cooper on Monday about President Donald Trump’s executive order concerning mail-in ballots, but Murphy used his answer to focus largely on what he believes Trump intends to do with the federal government’s new verification process.
The exchange came after the Supreme Court, in a 6-3 ruling, allowed the administration to move forward with the order while litigation over it continues.
Trump’s directive calls for states to provide information concerning people receiving mail-in ballots so the federal government can verify their eligibility. The Department of Homeland Security and Social Security Administration would be involved in that process.
“The Federal Government has an unavoidable duty under Article II of the Constitution of the United States to enforce Federal law, which includes preventing violations of Federal criminal law and maintaining public confidence in election outcomes,” the order states.
The directive also instructs the U.S. Postal Service not to deliver ballots to people who have not been verified as citizens and calls for states to use “unique ballot envelope identifiers, such as bar codes,” as part of the verification process.
Democrat Senator Chris Murphy has no real answer other than conspiracies when asked about voter integrity.
CNN: What is the harm in creating a list of eligible voters?
MURPHY: “Trump doesn’t want people to vote…” pic.twitter.com/IaJL7CT402
— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) August 25, 2026
Cooper put a straightforward question to Murphy.
“In your view, what is the harm in the Department of Homeland Security creating a list of eligible voters?” he asked.
Murphy responded by arguing that Trump would use federal power selectively against voters he believes are likely to support Democrats.
“Well, ultimately, Trump doesn’t want people to vote, and he’s going to be very selective about who he doesn’t want to vote,” Murphy said. “He doesn’t want people who are more likely to vote for Democrats to vote.”
Murphy then suggested DHS or the Postal Service could be directed to target certain voters for removal, pointing to people living in cities as an example.
The senator did not provide evidence during the quoted exchange demonstrating that the administration planned to remove eligible Democratic voters. He instead framed his objection around what he predicted Trump would do with the authority.
Murphy then broadened his criticism beyond the mail-ballot policy, accusing Trump of using presidential power for personal enrichment and attempting to influence elections improperly.
“Trump is going to use whatever power he has available to him to make himself rich,” Murphy alleged. “He’s going to use whatever power he has available to him to try to steal the election.”
The Supreme Court’s decision, however, did not settle whether Trump’s executive order is ultimately legal.
The majority reversed an injunction after concluding that the 23 states challenging the policy had not demonstrated the kind of concrete harm necessary to establish standing. Their asserted injuries at this stage were deemed conjectural.
