Sen. Chris Murphy said Wednesday that President Trump has become the “primary cheerleader” for resentment in the U.S. as critics continue to say the president had a hand in a recent mass shooting.

“There is a very sophisticated network of hate in this country that started, you know, well before President Trump took office, but he was their cheerleader, and he is now their primary cheerleader, so he is making it worse, not better,” the Connecticut Democrat told MSNBC.

The president’s rivals have held his rhetoric partially responsible for a shooting in El Paso, Texas that left 22 people dead, pointing to a manifesto the suspect posted online echoing anti-immigrant sentiment the president has said in the past.

Mr. Trump condemned “racism, bigotry and white supremacy” during a White House address Monday.

Mr. Murphy also said Congress contributes to gun violence as well, explaining their inaction makes them complicit in the crimes.

“When these young men are contemplating exorcising their demons, their disdain for people that are different from them, through a weapon, through the muzzle of a rifle, they notice when Congress doesn’t step in and condemn these actions with legislation,” Murphy said.

“And so our silence has become a quiet endorsement for these unhinged individuals who are trading in this hate speech who end up turning guns on individuals,” he added.

Mr. Trump is visiting Dayton, Ohio and El Paso, Texas Wednesday after the two cities each experienced a mass shooting Saturday that left over 30 people dead combined.

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