Video News Clips: In Their Own Words

CNN Host Erin Burnett Accuses Trump Of ‘Seizing On’ Murder Of Ukrainian Refugee ‘To Push His Nationwide Crackdown’

CNN Host Accuses Trump Of 'Seizing On' Murder Of Ukranian Refugee 'To Push His Nationwide Crackdown' (Screenshot/CNN)

CNN’s Erin Burnett accused President Donald Trump on Monday of seizing on the brutal murder of a Ukrainian refugee on a Charlotte, N.C. light rail train.

Surveillance footage shows a homeless ex-convict allegedly stabbing 23-year-old Ukrainian refugee Iryna Zarutska to death on a train in a random attack, police said. Burnett said on “Erin Burnett OutFront” that Trump was exploiting the crime to justify his call for a nationwide law-and-order crackdown.

“Horrific new video of a Ukrainian refugee’s murder caught on camera. It is absolutely horrific. Trump is now seizing on this to push his nationwide crackdown,” Burnett said.

Trump addressed the killing and opened his remarks by offering sympathy to the victim’s family.

WATCH: 

CNN’s Erin Burnett accuses President Donald Trump “seizing” on the brutal murder of a Ukrainian refugee.

“Horrific new video of a Ukrainian refugees murder caught on camera. It is absolutely horrific. Trump is now seizing on this to push his nationwide crackdown.”@DailyCaller pic.twitter.com/uyzxSPs5OU

— Mariane Angela (@MarianeAngelaDC) September 9, 2025

“I just give my love and hope to the family of the young woman who was stabbed this morning or last night in Charlotte by a madman,” Trump said of the viral killing. “A lunatic just got up and started. It’s right on the tape, not, not really watchable, because it’s so horrible, but just viciously stamped. She’s just sitting there. So they’re evil people. We have to be able to handle that. If we don’t handle that, we don’t have a country.”

National corporate media outlets gave little attention to the stabbing until Monday morning, a Daily Caller News Foundation (DCNF) review found. “CBS Mornings” devoted about two minutes to a reporter reciting details of Zarutska’s killing, while “CNN News Central” and “CNN This Morning” offered only short blurbs. The latter CNN program highlighted conservative reactions to the video’s release, according to a DCNF keyword search of Grabien News archives as of 11 a.m. EDT Monday and social media posts.

Trump announced Aug. 11 that the federal government would take control of Washington, D.C.’s Metropolitan Police Department to combat crime in the district. He made the move days after Department of Government Efficiency staffer Edward Coristine, known by the moniker “Big Balls,” suffered injuries while intervening to stop a carjacking.

The Trump administration launched “Operation Midway Blitz” on Monday in Chicago and across Illinois to crack down on illegal migrants protected by sanctuary policies. After conducting major sweeps in Los Angeles and Washington, D.C., federal officials shifted their focus to Chicago.

(Featured Image Media Credit: Screenshot/CNN)