‘Don’t tell my mother’: Schumer responds to Trump saying he’s ‘not Jewish anymore’
In his new book ‘Antisemitism in America,’ Schumer says Trump is not an antisemite
Then-Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer on Dec. 20, 2024. Photo by Valerie Plesch/Bloomberg via Getty Images
By Jacob Kornbluh March 21, 2025
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer refrained from accusing President Donald Trump of weaponizing antisemitism in a Thursday interview, even after Trump called Schumer a “Palestinian” and said he is “not Jewish anymore.”
Trump “does not do enough to combat antisemitism,” Schumer said, “even though I don’t think he’s antisemitic himself.”
Last week, during remarks in the Oval Office, Trump suggested that Schumer — America’s highest-ranking Jewish elected official — had “become a Palestinian,” adding, “He used to be Jewish. He’s not Jewish anymore.”
Jewish American organizations, including the Anti-Defamation League, condemned Trump’s comments, emphasizing that presidential power does not extend to determining who is or isn’t Jewish. Amy Spitalnick, chief executive of the Jewish Council for Public Affairs, accused Trump of weaponizing antisemitism to go after his political opponents. She said it “only makes Jews *less* safe.”
Schumer agreed that Trump is “hurting Jewish people and the Jewish cause” by using “Palestinian” as a slur against him.
Nonetheless, he took the attack more lightly. “I say jokingly, don’t tell my mother,” Schumer said.
Schumer’s new book, Antisemitism in America: A Warning, addresses his experiences with antisemitism and how hatred of Jews has evolved in American life.
The book highlights the dog whistles invoked by Trump during his presidential campaigns, his remark that there were “very fine people on both sides” after neo-Nazis marched at a 2017 Charlottesville rally, and his associations with far-right figures who openly promote antisemitic views — including their embrace of the anti-immigrant conspiracy theory known as the Great Replacement.
“Let me state unequivocally: I do not believe Donald Trump is an antisemite,” Schumer writes. “But he all too frequently has created the feeling of safe harbor for far-right elements who unabashedly or in coded language express antisemitic sentiments.”
The book — tracing Schumer’s journey from a Brooklyn childhood to becoming one of the most powerful figures in Washington — also addresses, among other topics, antisemitism on the left, particularly in pro-Palestinian protests after Oct. 7. Schumer postponed all his scheduled book launch events amid planned protests and growing calls for him to step down from his leadership role after backing the Republican spending bill to avoid a shutdown.
Schumer said his book aims to educate five audiences: his generation, who are worried about the current state of antisemitism; Jewish youth, who are pro-Israel but not very familiar with history; non-Jewish sympathizers, who may wonder why Jews are increasingly raising it as a concern; Jews on the left, who should be aware of how criticism of Israel can easily cross over into antisemitism; and all Americans.
He said he chose the Hachette Book Group — owned by Hachette Livre, the third-largest trade and educational publisher in the world — because of their expertise in getting books into colleges and high schools, either as required or optional reading. “That would really do a lot to reduce the rise in antisemitism,” Schumer said.
Schumer proclaimed: “I believe if everyone in America read my book, antisemitism would decrease.”
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