Trump calls Schumer a 'Palestinian' over criticism of Qatari plane gift

Dave Goldiner, New York Daily News on May 14, 2025

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President Donald Trump Wednesday trashed Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer over criticism of the push to accept a $400 million plane from Qatar that could be used as Air Force One.

Without elaborating on the plane deal, Trump issued his oft-repeated taunt that Schumer, who is the most-senior Jewish elected official in American history, is acting like a “Palestinian.”

“Schumer has … become a Palestinian. There’s something wrong with him,” Trump told a reporter who asked about the plane during the president’s flight from Saudi Arabia to Qatar.

“You know, I’ve known him a long time and there’s something wrong,” Trump said. “He’s lost his confidence, totally … I don’t know what it is with Schumer.”

Trump hasn’t explained what he means when he calls Schumer a “Palestinian,” although it’s apparently intended as an insult.

A spokesman for Schumer told the Daily News Wednesday the senator wouldn’t respond to Trump’s recent comments.

The attack came a day after Schumer said he would block Trump’s Justice Department appointees until he gets more answers about the controversial plane gift.

The Brooklyn Democrat slammed as “blatant corruption” the present from the oil-rich Gulf Arab state to Trump, who admits he plans to hand over the “palace in the sky” to his presidential foundation when he leaves office.

The Constitution’s emoluments clause bars the president from accepting gifts from foreign leaders or governments without congressional approval.

The White House claims that the plane would actually be a gift to the Department of Defense, which then would hand it off to Trump’s foundation when he leaves office. It hasn’t explained why any gift shouldn’t remain the property of the American people.

Trump wants the opulent plane because he believes the current Air Force One is too outdated to serve as suitable transportation for the president.

The government has a contract with Boeing for a new plane, but the deal has suffered from delays and cost overruns.

Ethics aside, experts say the gifted plane will require extensive retrofitting for security purposes which may take a significant amount of time and cost tens or even hundreds of millions of dollars to complete.

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