Trump Jr.’s Comparison of Syrian Refugees to Skittles Causes Controversy

When it comes to the Trump family tree, the apple doesn’t fall far when it comes to courting social media controversy.

On Monday night, the Republican nominee’s son, Donald Trump Jr., tweeted out a graphic that compared incoming Syrian refuges to poisoned Skittles.

This image says it all. Let's end the politically correct agenda that doesn't put America first. #trump2016 pic.twitter.com/9fHwog7ssN

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— Donald Trump Jr. (@DonaldJTrumpJr) September 19, 2016

The image continues a familiar theme of the Trump campaign, with an emphasis on curbing “dangerous” immigration to the United States. This is despite the fact that a recent report from the Cato Institute think-tank found that, “the chance of an American being murdered in a terrorist attack caused by a refugee is 1 in 3.64 billion per year.”

Reaction to the tweet came quickly, with many deriding the odd metaphor choice as mathematically inaccurate and disrespectful to human life.

https://twitter.com/Toure/status/778020210754326528

This is the equivalent of a red Skittle in your analogy. pic.twitter.com/NKvD5V07tE

— chriscjackson on Bluesky (@ChrisCJackson) September 19, 2016

This image says it all. In 1939 900 Jews on ship fm Nazi Germany to USA were sent back. 25% died in Holocaust. Not skittles @DonaldJTrumpJr pic.twitter.com/vbvQMFYquF

— Malcolm Nance (@MalcolmNance) September 20, 2016

Other users pointed out that the tweet was remarkably similar to an anti-Islam image that was being shared across numerous white supremacist Twitter accounts earlier in the day.

https://twitter.com/ParkerMolloy/status/778029065718685696

Wrigley, the company who produces Skittles, released a statement regarding the tweet:

“Skittles are candy. Refugees are people. We don’t feel it’s an appropriate analogy. We will respectfully refrain from further commentary as anything we say could be misinterpreted as marketing.”