Trump criticised for using ‘Palestinian’ as insult to Schumer |
US President Donald Trump has been condemned by multiple advocacy groups for referring to Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer as a “Palestinian” in a recent attack, using the term as an insult.
Trump’s comments were made during a meeting in the Oval Office with Irish Prime Minister Micheál Martin, where he criticised Schumer over his position on political matters.
“Schumer is a Palestinian as far as I’m concerned. He’s become a Palestinian. He used to be Jewish. He’s not Jewish anymore. He’s a Palestinian,” Trump said, following a disjointed rant about US foreign policy, including issues concerning Israel and Gaza.
The comments have sparked backlash from both Muslim and Jewish organisations, with the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) calling Trump’s words offensive and beneath the dignity of his office.
Nihad Awad, CAIR’s executive director, stressed that using “Palestinian” as a slur continues the dehumanisation of Palestinians, which he said fuels hate crimes and political violence against Palestinian-Americans.
Halie Soifer, CEO of the Jewish Democratic Council of America, also condemned the remarks, asserting that Trump does not have the authority to decide who is Jewish. “Senator Schumer is the country’s highest-ranking Jewish American official, and ‘Palestinian’ should not be used as an insult,” she said.
The comments echo previous attacks Trump has made against Schumer, where he has called him a “proud member of Hamas” and questioned why Jewish Americans continue to support the Democratic Party, even as concerns over antisemitism within his own circle grow.
This controversy comes amidst a wider political debate surrounding the Israel-Gaza conflict and rising concerns over antisemitism, Islamophobia, and anti-Palestinian sentiment in US politics. Rights groups have long accused Trump of exploiting such issues for political gain, particularly during his election campaigns.
While Trump has yet to publicly apologise for the remarks, his administration’s stance on Palestinian rights and the Middle East conflict has been sharply criticised by human rights advocates.
The US president has previously suggested that Palestinians be forcibly removed from Gaza to make way for redevelopment, which has been labelled as a form of ethnic cleansing.
Neither Schumer nor the White House immediately commented on the latest controversy.
