President Donald Trump reacted to news that Democratic Senator Chris Murphy suffered a stroke, days after he called a possible administration plan for renewed military action against Iran “insane.”
After landing in Dubuque, Iowa, for a campaign rally, Trump told reporters on Sunday that he was “really surprised” to learn about the Connecticut senator’s stroke. “Nobody wants to have that,” he added.
Murphy, 53, began experiencing numbness in his arm while attending his son’s hockey game Saturday afternoon, his chief of staff Allison Herwitt said in a statement.
“He was taken to a local hospital, where it was discovered he had experienced a stroke,” Herwitt said. “He was transferred to Johns Hopkins for further monitoring and is responding well to treatment.”
Doctors were encouraged by Murphy’s progress, and he was awake and alert, Herwitt added.
“We are optimistic he will make a full recovery,” she said.
Murphy serves on the Senate’s Appropriations and Foreign Relations committees and is a leading voice on immigration and gun policy. He is considered a contender for more senior leadership positions in the chamber and among the many Democrats seen as potential 2028 candidates for the White House.
Murphy said last week that he had been briefed on a possible resumption of U.S. military operations against Iran.
The Democrat discussed the briefing during a Middle East Institute event in Washington following a trip to Qatar and Saudi Arabia. He said lawmakers had received a detailed description of what a renewed military campaign could look like.
Asked about the proposal, Murphy said: “Their plan is insane. It will lead to devastating escalation, and the likely destruction of our commitment to the rule of law.”
Murphy said officials had been asked by Trump to develop a plan, although he said he did not know whether they believed it would work.
“The plan that they have developed will lead, in my view, to a prolongment and an escalation of this war that will be devastating for our security interests,” Murphy said.
Murphy also addressed the issue on social media on October 29.
“Trump is reportedly planning to restart war with Iran after the election,” he wrote. “Some of us have been briefed on the war plan. And while I cannot disclose any details, I can say this: the plan is insane.”
He added that the plan “will not achieve objectives and will set off a new cycle of escalation.”
According to the Wall Street Journal, the White House recently briefed allies in the Middle East to prepare for a “short, intense military campaign” against Iran as soon as November 4, the day after the midterm elections, according to three senior Gulf Arab officials, granted anonymity to share sensitive discussions.
Trump said Friday that the Iran war “is going to be over very soon.”
[…]
