GOP senator calls Schumer ‘Fuhrer’; minority leader’s office: ‘Textbook antisemitism’

JTA — A Republican US senator called Chuck Schumer “Fuhrer” on Thursday, using Adolf Hitler’s title as an epithet for the US Senate minority leader, who is Jewish.

“Here’s the main thing you’ve got to understand. Republicans are independently minded. Democrats are monolithic sheep that follow the Fuhrer Schumer’s orders,” Senator Bernie Moreno of Ohio said to reporters while discussing US President Donald Trump’s proposed tax cuts.

A Schumer spokesperson responded, “That’s textbook antisemitism, so we won’t comment on it.” A range of Jewish groups also condemned the statement.

Moreno is the latest Republican to insult Schumer using language referencing the New York Democrat’s Jewish identity. In March, Trump falsely told reporters that Schumer was no longer Jewish while criticizing his lack of support for a Republican-drafted funding bill.

“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.

It was one of multiple instances in which Trump has used “Palestinian” as a pejorative to refer to Schumer. He also once (falsely) called Schumer a “proud member of Hamas.”

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer speaks during the annual Israel Day Parade on Fifth Avenue in New York, June 2, 2024. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

Schumer, who lost many relatives in the Holocaust, released a book last month titled “Antisemitism in America: A Warning.”

He has been vocal about his Jewish identity throughout his political career. He’s also been one of the staunchest Democratic supporters of Israel on Capitol Hill, though he has become increasingly critical of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Jonathan Greenblatt, the CEO of the Anti-Defamation League, condemned Moreno’s statement in a post on X.

“It’s despicable and inexcusable to compare a Jewish leader in the Senate to Adolf Hitler,” he wrote. “Nazi analogies in politics trivialize the Holocaust and the memory of the 6 million Jews who were murdered, including dozens of members of @SenSchumer’s own family.”