Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer is under fire after a video went viral of him celebrating a Buffalo Bills victory at the beginning of a press conference about the weekend’s mass shootings.
Two gunmen opened fire at Sydney’s Bondi Beach on Sunday, killing 15 people and leaving 27 more in the hospital. Jewish attendees of a Hanukkah celebration were the target of the attack. A mass shooting at Providence, Rhode Island’s Brown University on Saturday left two students dead and nine injured.
Speaking at his press conference primarily focused on alleged A.I. price gouging, Schumer told reporters on Sunday, “First I’m going to, of course, talk about Instacart and their ripping off the consumer, and then of course I’m going to say a few words about the terrible shooting in Sydney, Australia. Okay?
“So, and first of course as I always say no matter what, go Bills, they beat the Patriots today its a big deal.”
The Buffalo Bills beat the New England Patriots 35 to 31 in an NFL game on Sunday.
Schumer later said of the shootings, “These sickening events have become far too normal in our world. We must do more to stop gun violence.”
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TRENDING: Minority Leader Chuck Schumer is under heavy criticism for saying this about the #Bills.
“I’m going to say a few words about the shooting in Australia. So first, of course, no matter what, go Bills! They beat the Patriots today. It’s a big deal”pic.twitter.com/V0ZRgqWMup
— MLFootball (@MLFootball) December 15, 2025
Schumer’s opening comments about the Bills have drawn criticism, mostly from conservatives, who claim they were insensitive and poorly timed.
On social media, the edited videos have gone viral, especially from conservative accounts.
Over a 12-hour period on Sunday, a single clip on X received over a million views. When a video is at least half on screen for at least two seconds, X counts that as a view.
Conservative podcaster Alec Lace, host of his eponymous show The Alec Lace Show shared a clip from the “go Bill” moment on X, where it has been viewed more than 1 million times, writing: “TONE DEAF AF. Chuck Schumer says he’ll comment on the shooting at Brown University and the terrorist attack in Australia… But first… GO BILLS!”
Former Assistant Secretary of Veterans Affairs for Public and Intergovernmental Affairs James Hutton, who was appointed by President Donald Trump in 2019, reacted to the same clip, writing: “If you still wonder about whether Chuck Schumer cares about the Australian shooting victims, reread his quote,” before quoting Schumer’s “go Bills” remark.
As of Monday morning, the search for the Brown University shooter continues.
The alleged gunmen in the Bondi shooting have not been named publicly by police but Australian media has named them as Naveed Akram, who is in hospital with critical injuries, and his father, Sajid Akram, who was shot by police and died at the scene.
“The horrific antisemitic terrorist attack at a Hanukkah festival in Sydney is beyond appalling. It is a shocking reminder that antisemitism and hate is not only toxic and far too present and widespread around the world, it is deadly. It must be vigorously condemned, confronted and overcome. As Jewish communities light the Hanukkah candles around the world, a holiday of light and dedication, may we find light in the darkness and rededicate ourselves to fighting the scourge of hate,” Schumer tweeted from his official X account.
“I am heartbroken for those killed and injured by yet another horrific shooting, this time at Brown University. No student, professor, or any American should fear for their life when on campus. We must do more to stop this senseless gun violence,” he wrote in another tweet.
