Trump claims top political rival is becoming 'a Palestinian'

President Donald Trump said Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer 'used to be Jewish' and called him a 'Palestinian' during an Oval Office diatribe Wednesday.

The comments came suddenly after he tore into Democrats for failing to stand up and applaud during his address to Congress.

He brought up his earlier attack on Sen. Elizabeth Warren, calling her 'Pocahontas,' and went after congressional Democrats generally for failing to embrace his economic proposals.

Then he quickly turned to Schumer, who Trump has known for years.  

'Schumer is a Palestinian as far as I'm concerned. He's become a Palestinian. He used to be Jewish. He's not Jewish anymore. He's a Palestinian,' Trump said.

Trump, 78, didn't say why he brought up Schumer, 74, who has become an outspoken critic of Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu, a Trump ally. He has made the comment previously, including during the campaign, and has called him a 'proud member of Hamas.'

Schumer is Jewish and is not of Palestinian descent. 

Schumer on Tuesday posted a nuanced statement about the arrest of ex-Columbia University graduate student Mahmoud Khalil, following his arrest by Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

'While he may well be in violation of various campus rules regarding how the protests were conducted last year, that is a matter for the university to pursue,' Schumer wrote. 

Schumer also raised First Amendment issues, writing: 'The Trump administration’s DHS must articulate any criminal charges or facts that would justify his detention or the initiation of deportation proceedings against him.' 

Schumer was a strong supporter of Israel after the October 7 Hamas terror attacks inside Israel.

The two men have known each other for years on the New York political scene. Trump had donated $8,900 to Schumer before his 2016 run for president. 

Schumer's office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.