He won’t be tasting the rainbow. Donald Trump Jr. sparked outrage after comparing Syrian refugees to poisonous Skittles in a tweet on Monday, September 19.
The oldest son of Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump posted an image of a bowl of the colorful candies with a line of text reading, “If I had a bowl of skittles and I told you just three would kill you. Would you take a handful? That’s our Syrian refugee problem.”
The 38-year-old businessman captioned the meme, “This image says it all. Let’s end the politically correct agenda that doesn’t put America first. #trump2016."
This image says it all. Let's end the politically correct agenda that doesn't put America first. #trump2016 pic.twitter.com/9fHwog7ssN
— Donald Trump Jr. (@DonaldJTrumpJr) September 19, 2016
The post quickly went viral, and while it earned support from Trump fans, many thought it was an inappropriate, dehumanizing way to refer to the 13.5 million people who are in need of humanitarian aid.
Even Skittles’ parent company, Wrigley, condemned the comparison and attempted to distance the brand from the meme. “Skittles are candy. Refugees are people,” a spokesperson said in a statement, according to NPR. “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.”
Many Twitter users started posting photos of Syrians, especially children, to highlight the extreme juxtaposition between Skittles and human beings. Others pointed out just how large that bowl would be. “A bowl of 3.2 million skittles, and 3 kill you? I’d take a lot more than a handful,” one tweeter wrote, referring to the 3.2 million refugees who have come to the U.S. since 1975, according to the U.S. Department of State.
Others found humor in the situation. "Believe me, we’re gonna build a big bowl — a tremendous bowl — and the Skittles are going to pay for that bowl,” one person tweeted.
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