On Holocaust Remembrance Day, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer publicly rebuked President Donald Trump, accusing him of exploiting antisemitism for political purposes in a scathing social media post. “Stop disgracefully weaponizing antisemitism to attack universities,” Schumer wrote, voicing his strong disapproval of the administration’s recent actions.
Schumer made it clear that his position was shared by other Jewish Democratic senators. Standing alongside colleagues Richard Blumenthal, Jacky Rosen, Adam Schiff, and Brian Schatz, he co-signed a letter to President Trump urging a halt to what they described as an inappropriate use of antisemitism as political cover. The letter was sent just before Schumer’s public remarks were posted.
“[Trump’s] failing to address the real problem of antisemitism—instead using this crisis as a pretext to attack those who disagree,” he wrote.
Earlier in the day, The New York Times reported that it had obtained the senators’ letter, which directly questions the Trump administration’s rationale for cutting off federal funding to universities such as Harvard. The senators are demanding a detailed account of the decision-making process behind the funding freezes.
In the letter, Schumer and his colleagues expressed alarm over what they see as a sweeping crackdown on academic institutions. They warned that Trump’s actions “seem to go far beyond combating antisemitism, using what is a real crisis as a pretext to attack people and institutions who do not agree with you,” according to the Times.
The letter argues that rather than sincerely addressing antisemitism, the administration is using it as a shield to justify political retaliation against higher education. The lawmakers posed eight pointed questions for President Trump, requesting a response by April 30.
This controversy erupted in the wake of a lawsuit filed by Harvard University, which is contesting the administration’s attempt to freeze $2 billion in federal funds. University president Alan Garber told NBC that Harvard had little alternative but to take legal action. He acknowledged the uncertainty of the case but emphasized its urgency: “the stakes are so high that we have no choice.”
Meanwhile, President Trump didn’t hold back in his own messaging. In a post on Truth Social, he condemned Harvard as “an antisemitic, far-left institution” and blasted the university’s culture. “The place is a liberal mess, allowing a certain group of crazed lunatics to enter and exit the classroom and spew fake anger and hate.”
Trump has also taken personal shots at Schumer in the past. In one inflammatory remark made in March, he questioned Schumer’s Jewish identity, saying, “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.”
Schumer recently authored a book titled Antisemitism in America: A Warning, signaling his heightened focus on the issue and providing further backdrop to his clash with the administration.
{Matzav.com}