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President Donald Trump was rebuked by Jewish and Muslim groups on Wednesday for calling Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer (D-New York) a "Palestinian." The groups said the president used the word as a slur.
Speaking to reporters in the Oval Office alongside Irish Prime Minister Micheál Martin, Trump attacked the Democrats over their response during his address to Congress on March 6 and targeted Schumer when he was asked about corporate taxes.
"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.
Previously when he served as Senate majority leader, Schumer was the highest-ranking Jewish elected official in the United States.
His office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Trump's remarks were condemned by leading civil rights groups.
"President Trump's use of the term 'Palestinian' as a racial slur is offensive and beneath the dignity of his office," Nihad Awad, national executive director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, said in a statement. Criticizing the "continuing dehumanization" of the Palestinian people, Awad called on the president to apologize to Palestinians and Americans.
The Anti-Defamation League, the country's most influential Jewish civil rights group, also denounced the use of "Palestinian" as a slur, arguing that presidential power doesn't include deciding "who is and isn't Jewish."
"Instead of weaponizing people's identity, use the power of the bully pulpit to bring the American people together," the ADL said on X, sharing a screenshot of a news item on Trump's comments.
Amy Spitalnick, chief executive of the Jewish Council for Public Affairs, mentioned the Trump administration in a social media post, saying its goal appeared to be weaponizing "antisemitism to go after their political enemies, advance an extreme agenda, and undercut democracy."
Trump has used similar language before to target Schumer. While sharing his vision for a U.S. takeover of Gaza in February, Trump likened the New York Democrat to Palestinians. And in August, Trump falsely accused Schumer of being "a proud member of Hamas."
Trump has similarly assailed other Democrats and targeted Doug Emhoff, the Jewish spouse of former vice president Kamala Harris.
In a Senate speech in 2024, Schumer addressed Trump's comments about Emhoff.
"Calling Jews fools and suggesting they are bad or disloyal because of their political beliefs is not just some juvenile insult," Schumer said. "It's an old antisemitic trope that goes back centuries, one of dual loyalty. It's been used for a very long time to drive Jews out of their homes, to paint them as untrustworthy, to deny their basic dignity."
Schumer is the author of a new book titled "Antisemitism in America: A Warning," due to be released next week.
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