Whether he meant to or not, Donald Trump Jr. set off a firestorm on Twitter Monday night after comparing Syrian refugees to Skittles, blasting out a picture he declared “says it all.”
“If I had a bowl of skittles and I told you just three would kill you. Would you take a handful?” the statement read. “That’s our Syrian refugee problem.”
Trump sent out the graphic with his father’s presidential campaign’s official logo and the hashtag “#trump2016,” urging an “end” to “the politically correct agenda that doesn’t put America first.”
This image says it all. Let's end the politically correct agenda that doesn't put America first. #trump2016pic.twitter.com/9fHwog7ssN
— Donald Trump Jr. (@DonaldJTrumpJr) September 19, 2016
The term “Skittles” quickly made its way to Twitter’s trending topics and even prompted a speedy response from Mars, which owns Skittles maker Wrigley.
Mars issued a statement online, saying, “Skittles are candy; refugees are people. It’s an inappropriate analogy.”
— Mars, Incorporated (@MarsGlobal) September 20, 2016
“We will respectfully refrain from further commentary as anything we say could be misinterpreted as marketing,” said the company.
See also: Twitter Is Finally Loosening Its 140-Character Limit
The Twitterverse, of course, was quick to add commentary of its own, with many blasting Trump and others expressing agreement with his views.
https://twitter.com/jonfavs/status/778036417167368192
Even if we did bring in a few bad Skittles – and there's no evidence we do – you take that risk to save these Skittles, you monstrous dope. pic.twitter.com/KpA7Mnl8Nm
— Rex Huppke (@RexHuppke) September 20, 2016
https://twitter.com/willbardwell/status/778046440887255040
Around 3000 Americans die every year from choking on food. Zero have been killed by refugees. So I'd be more worried about the Skittles tbh. https://t.co/imLSZckjsI
— Mehdi Hasan (@mehdirhasan) September 20, 2016
By that logic, you would take everyone's guns away. Because someone is gonna kill somebody at some point. But I guess that doesn't count. https://t.co/3BraX0Ew19
— John Legend (@johnlegend) September 20, 2016
Oh and human beings fleeing oppression and terror aren't skittles. https://t.co/wXK24wvurK
— John Legend (@johnlegend) September 20, 2016
This is disgusting. https://t.co/Qygl03Cnc1
— Nick Merrill (@NickMerrill) September 20, 2016
https://twitter.com/ItalyGG/status/778148930458615808
https://twitter.com/JackT94/status/778148806315606017
For more on the 2016 race, watch Fortune’s video:
For anyone scratching their heads at how Trump came up with the comparison, Joe Walsh, a former Republican state representative for Illinois (who also made headlines this summer for appearing to call for “war” against President Obama), later took ownership of the idea, The Guardian noted.
Hey @DonaldJTrumpJr, that's the point I made last month.
Glad you agree. pic.twitter.com/Nssw6KC1HY
— Joe Walsh (@WalshFreedom) September 20, 2016
