US Senate Republican calls top Democrat Chuck Schumer 'Fuhrer'

Ohio Republican Bernie Moreno made the comment to reporters outside the Senate chamber as members of his caucus struggled to agree on a path forward to try to pass Trump's tax-cut agenda.

 Then-Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer, a New York Democrat, walks out of the Senate Chamber following a series of votes at the US Capitol, February 12, 2024. (photo credit: CHIP SOMODEVILLA/GETTY IMAGES/JTA)
Then-Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer, a New York Democrat, walks out of the Senate Chamber following a series of votes at the US Capitol, February 12, 2024.
(photo credit: CHIP SOMODEVILLA/GETTY IMAGES/JTA)

A Republican member of the US Senate on Thursday called the chamber's top Democrat Chuck Schumer - the highest-ranking Jewish US elected official - "Fuhrer," a reference to the title used by Adolf Hitler.

Ohio Republican Bernie Moreno, who was elected in November, made the comment to reporters outside the Senate chamber as members of his caucus struggled to agree on a path forward to try to pass President Donald Trump's sweeping tax-cut agenda.

"Here's the main thing you've got to understand. Republicans are independently minded. Democrats are monolithic sheep that follow the Fuhrer Schumer's orders," Moreno said.

The German word Fuhrer is a political title meaning "leader" that is most associated with Hitler, who led his country into World War Two and was responsible for the deaths of six million Jews.

'Antisemitism in America: A Warning'

US SENATE Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) speaks during a news conference on Capitol Hill, last week. (credit: Amanda Andrade-Rhoades/Reuters)
US SENATE Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) speaks during a news conference on Capitol Hill, last week. (credit: Amanda Andrade-Rhoades/Reuters)

Schumer has just had a book published titled "Antisemitism in America: A Warning."

Asked about the comment, a Schumer spokesperson replied, "That's textbook antisemitism, so we won't comment on it."