President Trump said Friday morning that he was unaware some people consider the word “Shylock” to be antisemitic, responding to criticism after using the term during a rally in Iowa the previous evening.
At the rally, Trump spoke about eliminating estate taxes and avoiding bank loans, saying, “Think of that: no death tax, no estate tax, no going to the banks and borrowing from, in some cases, a fine banker. And in some cases, Shylocks and bad people.” His comment drew swift backlash from Jewish advocacy groups and civil rights organizations.
The term “Shylock” originates from Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice, where the character is portrayed as a Jewish moneylender driven by greed and revenge. Over centuries, the name has come to represent harmful stereotypes about Jewish people and money, and its usage has long been criticized as perpetuating antisemitic tropes.
The Anti-Defamation League, in a post on X, responded strongly to the remark, stating: “The term ‘Shylock’ evokes a centuries-old antisemitic trope about Jews and greed that is extremely offensive and dangerous. President Trump’s use of the term is very troubling and irresponsible. It underscores how lies and conspiracies about Jews remain deeply entrenched in our country. Words from our leaders matter and we expect more from the President of the United States.”
Speaking with reporters the next day, Trump said he had not previously understood the term as offensive. “I’ve never heard it that way. To me, Shylock is somebody that’s a money lender at high rates,” he said. “You view it differently than me. I’ve never heard that.”
The incident echoes a similar one in 2014, when then-Vice President Joe Biden used the term “Shylocks” in reference to aggressive bankers. Biden later apologized for what he described as a “poor choice of words.”
