President Trump stood on a stage in Iowa and defended the recently passed mega bill that reportedly places vulnerable people in a position where they might be ejected from Medicaid.
Trump, obviously, highlighted how great the tax cuts for the rich would be, and in a typical Freudian slip, he alluded that they would no longer have to rely on “shylocks.” “Shylock” is one of the oldest antisemitic slurs; it literally goes back to Shakespearean-era English. Shylock was a villainous, money-lending Jewish character in William Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice, defined by greed.
Beloved in theaters throughout the world, his iconic line, “A pound of flesh, which I demand from him, / Is dearly bought; ‘tis mine and I will have it,” has been recited over and over. The line is considered the height of greed, and people still use “a pound of flesh” to describe an unreasonable demand from a creditor. But some, who are less careful with their words, slip up and call creditors “shylocks,” which can veer into suggesting that that’s how Jewish creditors and bankers conduct their business.
It’s not an entirely new controversy or even something that only Trump has said. President Biden also once used the term in 2014 when he was Barack Obama’s Vice President. Biden was quickly criticized by the ADL, and he issued an apology, calling his choice of words “poor.” President Trump took an entirely different route, however.
When asked about his use of that term, Trump claimed, “I’ve never heard it that way. You view it differently than me.” But in his speech, he does sound a bit hesitant when using the term and even did a little spin at the end, adding that there are also “fine bankers.” This was a surprise considering he has been clamping down on universities with claims of ending antisemitism.
Online, people were outraged. One X user called it a “sick joke” and added that the GOP only talks about antisemitism when it’s beneficial to their goals and have ultimately weaponized the fight against it. Rep. Eric Swalwell called on the ADL to respond. Counting on the fact that they wouldn’t, and considering they completely excused the Elon Musk salute, that’s not that much of a reach.
It’s a sick joke to see Republicans weaponize the so-called fight against antisemitism when GOP leaders spread antisemitic tropes like this. https://t.co/R1jNc9oSYl
— Bleeding Heartland (@LauraRBelin) July 4, 2025
If @ADL cannot condemn this, they should pack it up. They will have ZERO credibility. https://t.co/OEikiJBzX2
— Rep. Eric Swalwell (@RepSwalwell) July 4, 2025
Surprisingly, the ADL did actually issue a statement saying, “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.”
This isn’t Trump’s first time feeding into antisemitic tropes. During the campaign trail, Trump expressed his own fears that if he were ever to lose, “the Jewish people would have a lot to do” with that. According to Newsweek, how he ended up wiggling himself out of that controversy was by ensuring that if he did win, he would make sure Israel is “safe and secured.” And he even went on to accuse Kamala Harris of being the antisemitic one despite obvious flaws to that argument.
No word from the White House has come on this particular matter yet.
Published: Jul 4, 2025 10:34 am