President Trump Faces Backlash for Using Antisemitic Term Shylock in Speech

President Trump has stated that he was unaware of the antisemitic connotations associated with the term “shylock,” which he used during a speech. During an event in Iowa, while discussing changes to the estate tax under his One Big Beautiful Bill Act, Trump referred to certain lenders as “shylocks and bad people.” The term “shylock” originates from a Jewish character in William Shakespeare’s “The Merchant of Venice,” who is depicted as a greedy moneylender, and is widely recognized as an antisemitic stereotype.

When questioned about the term’s offensive nature, Trump responded, “I’ve never heard it that way. The meaning of shylock is somebody that’s a moneylender at high rates. You view it differently. I’ve never heard that.”

The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) condemned Trump’s use of the term, describing it as “very troubling and irresponsible.” The ADL stated that the word evokes a “centuries-old antisemitic trope about Jews and greed that is extremely offensive and dangerous.”

Rep. Dan Goldman, a New York Democrat and Jewish member of Congress, criticized Trump’s remarks, calling them “blatant and vile antisemitism” and accusing Trump of knowing exactly what he was doing.

This is not the first time a public figure has faced backlash for using the term “shylock.” In 2014, then-Vice President Joe Biden also drew criticism for referring to “shylocks who took advantage of these women and men while overseas,” in relation to military service members facing foreclosures. Following pushback from the ADL, Biden apologized, calling it a “poor choice of words.”

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