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Chris Murphy calls for 'regulating the internet' so people won't fall for a 'demagogue like Donald Trump'

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Cite

Kornick, L. (2026, September 22). Chris Murphy calls for 'regulating the internet' so people won't fall for a 'demagogue like Donald Trump'. Fox News. https://www.foxnews.com/media/chris-murphy-calls-regulating-internet-people-wont-fall-demagogue-like-donald-trump

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Fox News · collected 2026-09-22 · by Lindsay Kornick

Quick Summary

Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., appeared on the "I've Had It" podcast promoting his book "Crisis of the Common Good," where he proposed government regulation of the internet to prevent people from supporting leaders like Donald Trump due to feelings of powerlessness and loneliness. He emphasized that regulations aimed at reducing isolation could make individuals less susceptible to demagogues, suggesting measures such as regulating social media platforms. White House spokesperson Davis Ingle criticized Murphy's comments, calling him an "anti-American disgrace." The article also mentions ongoing debates about scaling back Section 230 protections for social media companies and concerns from some Republicans that Congress may lack the expertise to effectively regulate emerging technologies like AI.
Written by AI on 2026-09-22, from this article's own text only (the story summary below draws on all the coverage).

AI analysis

Story summary

Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., suggested on Sunday during a podcast appearance that the U.S. government should regulate the internet to prevent voters from supporting figures like former President Donald Trump in the future. Appearing on the "I've Had It" podcast while promoting his book "Crisis of the Common Good," Murphy argued that American voters feel both powerless and lonely, which he believes led them to support leaders such as Trump. To address these issues, he proposed government action including raising the minimum wage and fostering stronger community institutions. Specifically regarding internet regulation, Murphy asserted it could help reduce isolation often experienced through social media platforms like Instagram, thereby making people less susceptible to "bulls--- demagogues."

Written for “Internet Regulation Debate” on 2026-11-03, grounded in this article and the 0 other(s) covering the same event.

Story

📰 Internet Regulation Debate
Politics · 1 article(s) covering the same event.

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How this article was measured signals, leaning charts, publisher record, byline, topics and claims

Signals How these are calculated →

Claims extracted
17
sentences that state something as happening or true
Uncertain
24%
4 of 17 hedged ("reportedly", "may", "according to")
Leaning
withheld
no quote in the article backed the model's score
Publisher signals
69/100
Fox News's corrections and hedging, across everything collected from it. Not a measure of accuracy.
Outlets on this story
1
Politics
Same framing elsewhere
1
articles that frame the event the way this one does
Analyzed 2026-09-22 · how these are computed

How this is being covered How these are calculated →

Article leaning vs. publisher reliability
Source leaning vs. consistency

Publisher

Fox News · 6416 article(s) · 11 correction(s) detected
Running correction rate · 11 correction(s)

Who wrote this

Lindsay Kornick
53 article(s) here · 1 carrying a prediction
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Also by Lindsay Kornick
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Topics

America Americans Congress Conn. Fox News Digital

Subjects

Murphy PERSON · 5× Trump PERSON · 4× Chris Murphy PERSON · 2× Congress ORG · 2× Donald Trump PERSON · 2× Fox News Digital ORG · 2× America GPE · 1× Americans NORP · 1× Conn. GPE · 1× Instagram ORG · 1×

Narrative

However, in light of recent discussions surrounding artificial intelligence (AI), some Republican lawmakers have expressed skepticism at efforts to regulate technology, suggesting experts outside of Congress should manage AI. "I think the warning is real, and I think that AI is unbelievable — look, AI is going to cure cancer.
framing: mixed · carried by 1 article(s) · first seen 2026-09-22
🔮 While appearing on the "I've Had It" podcast, Murphy discussed his book "Crisis of the Common Good," where he warned that America will be "stuck" with leaders like Trump unless more government action is taken to tackle loneliness and powerlessness among voters.

Claims (17 extracted, 4 hedged)

Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., suggested on Sunday that the government get involved in regulating the internet to make people less likely "to fall for a bulls--- demagogue like Donald Trump" in the future. uncertain
people → suggest → future
While appearing on the "I've Had It" podcast, Murphy discussed his book "Crisis of the Common Good," where he warned that America will be "stuck" with leaders like Trump unless more government action is taken to tackle loneliness and powerlessness among voters. asserted
action → appear → voters
"Those are the two things I think Americans are going through right now," Murphy said. asserted
Murphy → think → ?
"They don't feel powerful at all, and they feel lonely. asserted
they → feel → ?
And so, government should build a set of rules in which people feel more powerful — that's why the minimum wage is so important — and people feel so more connected. asserted
people → build → which
That's why, you know, rebuilding healthy institutions in your town should be a project that government is involved in." These efforts included regulating the internet, which Murphy said could sway people away from politicians like Trump. uncertain
Murphy → know → Trump
"That's why regulating the internet so that you're spending less time alone on Instagram should be an important government project," he said. asserted
he → regulate → Instagram
"And if people are feeling more powerful and less lonely, then they are going to be less likely to fall for a bulls--- demagogue like Donald Trump. asserted
they → feel → Trump
And what I say in the book is that if you really think about the things that make you more connected and make you more powerful, they're not actually super partisan." asserted
they → say → things
Murphy, a frequent Trump critic, continued to urge efforts to affect change. asserted
Murphy → continue → change
"The book basically says unless you fix what's broken with the culture, you're going to be stuck with people like Trump for a long time," he added. asserted
he → say → time
In a comment to Fox News Digital, White House spokesperson Davis Ingle called out Murphy, saying, "Chris Murphy is a lightweight, anti-American disgrace who lies for a living." Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle have called for action to be taken against social media companies in an effort to protect young users. asserted
action → call → users
Many have suggested scaling back Section 230, which provides broad immunity to social media platforms for their content. uncertain
which → suggest → content
However, in light of recent discussions surrounding artificial intelligence (AI), some Republican lawmakers have expressed skepticism at efforts to regulate technology, suggesting experts outside of Congress should manage AI. "I think the warning is real, and I think that AI is unbelievable — look, AI is going to cure cancer. asserted
AI → surround → cancer
AI is going to find solutions to get rid of diseases that we never thought we could get rid of, but it does need to have some oversight. uncertain
it → go → oversight
It needs a kill switch," Rep. Jimmy Patronis, R-Fla., told Fox News Digital last week. asserted
Patronis → need → Digital
"But again, I don't think Congress has the expertise to tell an emerging technology what's the best way to go." asserted
what → think → technology
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