U.S. President Donald Trump shows a fist at the East Front House Steps following the annual Friends of Ireland luncheon at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., U.S., March 12, 2025. REUTERS/Evelyn Hockstein
The Anti-Defamation League has backed President Donald Trump and his allies recently — including those who've faced accusations of making a Nazi salute — but found itself at odds with the president after he once again attacked Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY).
Trump targeted Schumer, who is Jewish, on Wednesday during a meeting with Irish Prime Minister Micheál Martin in the Oval Office, as Trump responded to questions about the U.S. corporate tax rate. Trump complained that congressional Democrats aren't supporting his agenda and accused them of being out of step with the American people, and slammed them for not reacting positively to parts of his address to a joint session of Congress last week.
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"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.
Schumer is not of Palestinian heritage. His remark earned criticism from the Council on American Islamic Relations, as well as the ADL.
"President Trump's use of the term 'Palestinian' as a racial slur is offensive and beneath the dignity of his office," said Nihad Awad, national executive director of the Council on American Islamic Relations.
"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," the ADL wrote on X.
The ADL's sharp rebuke comes as it faces fierce criticism for not calling out Trump and his allies.
The ADL declined to condemn X owner Elon Musk for making a salute at a Trump rally that many interpreted as a Nazi salute. The group was also recently dragged on social media over its approval of an executive order that led to the arrest of a Palestinian activist who helped organize Columbia University protests against Israel.