Outrage After Donald Trump Jr. “Gas Chambers” Comment on 1210 AM

Trump Jr. invoked the Holocaust’s most notorious killing tool while complaining about the media’s treatment of Hillary Clinton.

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Chris Stigall’s interview with Donald Trump Jr. this morning on 1210 AM has caused a media storm after Trump referenced gas chambers in a comment about how the media treats Hillary Clinton.

Per a story about the interview posted on the local CBS website, Trump Jr. — who has a B.S. in economics from Wharton, like his father — said the media was Clinton’s “number-one surrogate.” He continued:

“Without the media, this wouldn’t even be a contest, but the media has built her up. They’ve let her slide on every indiscrepancy, on every lie, on every DNC game trying to get Bernie Sanders out of this thing. If Republicans were doing that, they’d be warming up the gas chamber right now.”

Indiscrepancy is not a word, but Trump Jr. was doing a live interview and it’s not like he has an English degree from Penn, so whatever. It’s that last sentence that’s at issue here. Obviously, it sounds like a Holocaust reference, and it has caused quite a stir.

The Anti-Defamation League, a U.S.-based foundation dedicated to fighting anti-Semitism, told Trump Jr. that “Trivialization of the Holocaust and gas chambers is NEVER okay” and asked him to retract his statement. Hillary Clinton’s campaign released a statement from its director of Jewish outreach, Sarah Bard:

“Donald Trump Jr.’s recent comments invoking the use of gas chambers to make a political attack show just how insensitive, divisive, and reckless the Trump campaign is. The bottom line is this — offensive references to the Holocaust are never acceptable, especially from a presidential campaign. This is just the latest string of outrageous comments and offensive actions from the Trump campaign. From imposing a Star of David over a sea of dollar bills in a widely shared graphic, retweeting anti-Semitic white supremacists, to remarks he’s made using anti-Semitic stereotypes — the Trump campaign has shown us exactly the type of campaign they are running time and time again, and this campaign will continue to hold them accountable.”

Trump Jr. told NBC he wasn’t making a Holocaust joke, but merely referencing corporal punishment.