Donald Trump Jr has posted a message on Twitter likening Syrian refugees to a bowl of poisoned Skittles.
Seeking to promote his father's presidential campaign, the younger Trump posted a tweet featuring a bowl of the candy Skittles with a warning.
"If I had a bowl of Skittles and I told you just three would kill you, would you take a handful?" said the tweet on the verified @DonaldTrumpJr handle.
"That's our Syrian refugee problem," said the post, which caused a stir and negative tweets on the internet into Tuesday.
Young Trump's tweet said: "This image says it all. Let's end the politically correct agenda that doesn't put America first."
In response, Skittles' parent company Mars Incorporated posted on Twitter: "Skittles are candy; refugees are people. It's an inappropriate analogy. We respectfully refrain from further comment, as that could be misinterpreted as marketing."
Republican Presidential candidate Donald Trump has advocated sharply restraining immigration and has accused opponent Hillary Clinton of advocating acceptance of tens of thousands of refugees.
The tweet came as world leaders meeting at the United Nations on Monday approved a declaration aimed at providing a more coordinated and humane response to the global refugee crisis, among which Syrians are a major grouping.