Donald Trump's son lambasted for Skittles jibe

US Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump's campaign is facing scrutiny after his son, Donald Jr, published a controversial tweet in which he compared Syrian refugees to the popular Skittles sweets.

Trump Sr. has caused controversy in the past with his policies and statements concerning immigration into the US, and has taken a hard line against those coming from areas with a record of terrorism.

His son has caused the latest uproar on social media however with the baffling tweet about the Syrian refugee crisis.

He tweeted a picture which showed a bowl of Skittles with a caption asking “If I had a bowl of skittles and I told you just three would kill you, would you take a handful?”. It added "that's our Syrian refugee crisis".

The message was emblazoned with the Trump and Pence campaign logo and motto - "Make America Great Again".

The US election will take place in November, as Trump and Democrat rival Hillary Clinton boast some of the lowest levels of popularity among candidates ever seen.

Multiple controversial comments from Trump and his campaign have damaged his reputation among some voters, while Clinton has found it difficult to shrug off allegations of deceit owing to questions surrounding the transparency of her campaign.