President Donald Trump falsely said that Sen. Chuck Schumer is no longer Jewish and called him a “Palestinian” while speaking to reporters Wednesday.
Wednesday’s remarks were the latest instance in which Trump has used “Palestinian” as an epithet to refer to Schumer, whom he once also falsely called “a proud member of Hamas.” Generally, Trump has opted for such language to disparage Democrats whom he sees as inadequately supportive of Israel.
In this case, by contrast, Trump made the comments alongside Irish leader Micheál Martin while talking about corporate tax rates. After saying that the American public would blame Democrats for high taxes, Trump launched into an aside on the New York senator, his top adversary in Congress who on Wednesday was opposing a Republican-drafted funding bill. (The setting was ironic for the comments as the Irish government is staunchly pro-Palestinian.)
“And Schumer is a Palestinian as far as I’m concerned,” Trump said. “You know, he’s become a Palestinian. He used to be Jewish. He’s not Jewish anymore. He’s a Palestinian.”
Schumer, the New York Democrat and Senate minority leader, has spoken frequently about his Jewish identity throughout his political career. He is soon to release a book about fighting antisemitism.
A spokesperson for Schumer did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Both Trump’s supporters and opponents have shared clips of the remark online, and it has drawn criticism from some liberal Jewish organizations.
“Trump’s attack on Schumer is antisemitic and racist,” said Jonathan Jacoby, who leads the Nexus Project, an antisemitism watchdog. “He’s policing Jewish identity, invoking the dual loyalty trope, and implying Palestinians are evil. This is dangerous incitement. Jewish groups must say it clearly: the President is spreading hate and weaponizing antisemitism.”
New Jewish Narrative, meanwhile, called the remark “absurd and offensive.”
The group added, “Schumer is Jewish, regardless of his views on Israel-Palestine or anything else. And ‘Palestinian’ is not a slur. To use it as such is pure racism.”
The Anti-Defamation League also condemned the comments, saying in a statement, “A President has many powers, but none of them include deciding who is and isn’t Jewish. Doing so, and using “Palestinian” as a slur, are both beneath any @POTUS. Instead of weaponizing people’s identity, use the power of the bully pulpit to bring the American people together.”
But Trump’s comments also drew some praise. David Friedman, Trump’s former ambassador to Israel, tweeted the remark and wrote, “Metaphorically speaking, I couldn’t have said it better.”
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