 "'Schumer is a Palestinian': Trump targets Democrat leader amid govt funding bill row, receives flak. Reuters")
US President Donald Trump referred to Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer as a “Palestinian,” stating, “He used to be Jewish. He’s not Jewish anymore. He’s a Palestinian.”
He said this during a recent Oval Office meeting with Irish Prime Minister Micheál Martin.
This remark came amid discussions on various topics, including the GOP spending bill and U.S. tariff policies.
Donald Trump faced criticism from a major US Muslim civil rights group for using “Palestinian” as an insult while attacking Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, claiming he is “not Jewish anymore.”
Nihad Awad, executive director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), called Trump’s remark offensive and unworthy of a president.
“He should apologise to both Palestinians and Americans. Such dehumanisation has fuelled hate crimes against Palestinian-Americans, enabled the genocide in Gaza, and denied Palestinian rights for decades under US administrations,” Awad said.
Jewish organisations, including the Jewish Democratic Council of America (JDCA) and the Jewish Council for Public Affairs (JCPA), also criticised Trump’s statement, highlighting concerns over rising Islamophobia and antisemitism.
Stopgap funding bill
Senate Democrats, led by Schumer, have announced their intention to block the Republican-proposed stopgap funding bill.
The current funding is set to expire on Friday night. Without an agreement, non-essential services could be halted, affecting numerous federal workers.
The House-passed bill aims to maintain current funding levels through the end of September, proposing a $6 billion increase in defence spending while cutting $13 billion from non-defence expenditures. Democrats argue that the bill lacks bipartisan input and advocate for a shorter-term extension to allow for more comprehensive negotiations. Schumer has suggested a clean continuing resolution (CR) extending funding through mid-April to facilitate bipartisan discussions.