"Let's end the politically correct agenda that doesn't put America first," Donald Trump Jr. wrote in the tweet. | AP Photo Trump Jr. compares Syrian refugees to tainted Skittles

One of Donald Trump's sons compared the complexity of the Syrian refugee crisis to a bowl of Skittles on Monday evening.

Donald Trump Jr. tweeted an image Monday, which had a Trump-Pence logo, that said: "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."


"Let's end the politically correct agenda that doesn't put America first," Trump Jr. wrote in the tweet with the image.

Trump Jr.'s tweet came after the hunt and eventual capture of bombing suspect Ahmad Khan Rahami, who was born in Afghanistan It is unclear whether he came to the U.S. as a refugee. Rahami was charged with five counts of attempted murder of a law enforcement officer after a shootout Monday with police in Linden, New Jersey.

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 tweet was met with backlash on Twitter.

President Barack Obama's former chief speechwriter Jon Favreau shared the viral image of the young Syrian refugee boy who was covered in dirt after being saved from a building that was hit with a bomb.

Hey @DonaldJTrumpJr, this is one of the millions of children you compared to a poisoned Skittle today: https://t.co/SDSGw0eUIP pic.twitter.com/HuhY9RGvWW — Jon Favreau (@jonfavs) September 20, 2016

Hillary Clinton's traveling press secretary Nick Merrill also responded to Trump Jr.'s tweet, calling it "disgusting."

Jason Sparks, a former Barack Obama staffer, tweeted photos of Syrian refugee children. He wrote: "These aren't Skittles, @DonaldTrumpJr."

A representative for Skittles said in a statement that the company doesn't believe the comparison is appropriate.

"Skittles are candy. Refugees are people," the company stated.

Donald Trump has repeatedly called for restrictions or bans on refugees from Syria and other parts of the Muslim world, urging "extreme vetting" to make sure no dangerous people enter the country.