Last night, Donald Trump Jr. tweeted out a deeply offensive image comparing Syrian refugees coming to the United States to poisoned candy. Everyone from Skittles’ parent company to the Koch-backed Cato Institute has criticized the tweet for being both inaccurate and offensive.
It’s not the first time that Trump Jr.—who serves as a key advisor to his father’s campaign—has posted bigoted images and associated himself with white nationalism. Earlier this month, Trump Jr. tweeted an alt-right meme featuring himself, his father, conspiracy theorist Alex Jones, and white nationalist icon Pepe the Frog. He used to follow multiple white supremacists on Twitter and has even retweeted a white supremacist and anti-Semite who has written extensively about Jewish manipulation of society.
Trump Jr. has so far failed to apologize for any of these deeply offensive tweets. And in a clear sign of just how much influence the alt-right has over the Trump campaign, his father has yet to denounce or even distance himself from his son’s tweets—probably because he’s retweeted similar bigoted extremists. The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.
This was the scene in London as Donald Jr. was comparing refugees to Skittles… https://t.co/5S5BLIQ3cZ
— James Hohmann (@jameshohmann) September 20, 2016
Hey @DonaldJTrumpJr, this is one of the millions of children you compared to a poisoned Skittle today: https://t.co/SDSGw0eUIP pic.twitter.com/HuhY9RGvWW
— Jon Favreau (@jonfavs) September 20, 2016
HEADLINES:
The Atlantic: Donald Trump Jr. Is His Father’s Id
Washington Post: Opinion: Donald Trump Jr. is his father’s son
NPR: Taste The Outrage: Donald Trump Jr.’s Tweet Compares Refugees To Skittles
Think Progress: Donald Trump Jr.’s Skittles tweet: inaccurate, dehumanizing, plagiarized, and rooted in anti-Semitism
Washington Post: Skittles parent company criticizes image Donald Trump Jr. tweeted about Syrian refugees
Los Angeles Times: Internet blasts Donald Trump Jr. for comparing Syrian refugees to Skittles
NBC News: Skittles on Donald Trump Jr. Tweet: ‘Skittles Are Candy. Refugees Are People.’
Business Insider: Donald Trump Jr. tweets a picture of Skittles in attempt to describe the threat of Syrian refugees
The Guardian: Donald Trump Jr compares Syrian refugees to poisoned Skittles
BBC News: Donald Trump Jr compares Syrian refugees to Skittles
Slate: Donald Trump Jr. Thinks Syrian Refugees Are Like Killer Skittles
Politico: Trump Jr. compares Syrian refugees to tainted Skittles
CNN: Trump Jr. likens Syrian refugees to Skittles
Cato Institute: Trump Jr.’s Terrorism-Skittles Bowl Analogy