CNN’s Dana Bash was facing backlash Sunday for asking Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.) about Democrats’ “heated rhetoric” toward President Donald Trump after the shooting outside the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner.

“Do you think twice about that when something like this happens?” asked the host of CNN’s “State of the Union.”

“What rhetoric do you have in mind?” Raskin replied.

The exchange (watch in the clip below) arrived after Bash suggested that divisive rhetoric has intersected with a spike in political violence in recent years.

Raskin noted that Trump has called the press the “enemy of the people” and sued multiple outlets before adding that he hoped the dinner — which Trump and other top officials in his administration attended — would have served as a “wonderful opportunity to try to reclaim the basic values of the country.”

After accusing Raskin and fellow Democrats of using “some heated rhetoric” against Trump, Bash pointed to the party’s talk of the president being “terrible for this country.”

“I understand that that’s your democratic right, but overall, do you have a responsibility —,” said Bash before Raskin interjected.

Raskin said he has no “personal problem” with Trump, but rather, he’s focused on the administration’s policies like the “authoritarianism” on display during the deadly immigration crackdown in Minneapolis.

“I’m talking about policies. I don’t personalize it, and I certainly have never called the press ‘the enemy of the people,’” Raskin said.

BASH: You and your fellow Democrats have used some heated rhetoric against the president. Do you think twice about that when something like that happens?RASKIN: What rhetoric do you have in mind?BASH: That he's terrible for this country and so on and so forth pic.twitter.com/J8RHUgIodF

Critics on social media swiftly slammed Bash, including one X user who called her a “complete disgrace” and another claiming that it’s the “kind of bullshit that helped usher Trump right back into office.”

Dana Bash should be fired. She is a complete disgrace. https://t.co/LtHgh0t5qc

Fuck you, Dana. It’s this kind of bullshit that helped usher Trump right back into office — even though he says things ten times worse.Remember January 6th, Dana? https://t.co/kEe4m7ogxK

Donald Trump IS terrible for our country. And I’ll be damned if I’m going to stop saying that because some fucking nutjobs may or may not want to do something crazy. https://t.co/w6b070yOqK

dem electeds are far too restrained w their comments against trump & the right, but these kind of moments expose the INSANE DOUBLE STANDARD liberal media places on dems. everyone knows trump is uniquely violent in his language. criticizing the pres is democracy, not incitement! https://t.co/GiOmrCYiLd

No one in politics can say their opponent is “terrible for this country” anymore because random cranks exists. All political ads must now be in crayons and include at least one rainbow or cartoon rabbit sorry I don’t make the rules https://t.co/MEIj1N5L0F

We’re absolutely not doing the heated rhetoric thing again. Hey, Dana Bash, why not ask Renee Good and Alex Pretti’s family this? https://t.co/AJRktY2D9D

Right on cue, @DanaBashCNN asks @RepRaskin aren’t Democrats to blame for being critical of the most unpopular president in history? Yet another example of the press’ double standards. Remember Trump himself cheers when his political foes pass away. https://t.co/ZOp245X6tw

Think it’s kinda weird that Raskin gets bullied into saying he doesn’t have a personal problem with Trump. Is that true? I don’t think so.Words aren’t violence. Heated rhetoric is part of democracy. Saying someone is terrible doesn’t mean you want them shot. We can be grownups https://t.co/keaxacx69K

Accurately assessing the ugly truth about who Trump is and what he does is not inherently inciteful, and insinuating so is utterly unhelpful. If we stop speaking the plain truth about Trump’s abysmal character, we aid and abet him in the havoc he is wreaking across the world. https://t.co/g2Hb2usGm2

clocking in to the disappointing but unsurprising factory https://t.co/RnqOAS7lEO

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