President Donald Trump has addressed the controversy that arose after he employed a term widely regarded as antisemitic during a recent address. While speaking to a gathering in Iowa on Thursday, Trump referenced “Shylock” in a discussion about his recently signed “”
On Friday, when questioned by a journalist regarding his use of the phrase, described as “widely viewed as an antisemitic,” Trump was inquired whether he meant for the word “to be utilized in that manner.”
He responded, “No, I’ve never perceived it that way. For me, ‘Shylock’ signifies someone who lends money at high interest rates. I’ve never understood it like that. You see it differently than I do. I’ve never heard that,” before proceeding to take other inquiries on the tarmac at Joint Base Andrews.
Trump previously employed the word during a discussion on taxes, stating: “No death tax, no estate tax, no visiting banks and borrowing from, sometimes, a reputable banker and sometimes Shylocks and disreputable individuals.”
Organizations advocating for Jewish communities voiced their disapproval of the term’s application, noting its origins with the antagonist in William Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice, a character known for demanding a pound of flesh from a Christian merchant who defaults on a loan. The play has historically been viewed as
The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) stated on social media that “The word ‘Shylock’ brings to mind a long-standing antisemitic stereotype concerning Jewish people and avarice, which is profoundly insulting and perilous.” They added, “It highlights how falsehoods and plots against Jews are still deeply rooted within our nation.”
In 2014, while serving as Vice President, former President Joe Biden also employed the term “Shylocks” in a speech, subsequently clarifying that it was a
The timing of Trump’s use of this term is sensitive, given the recent rise in antisemitism and hate crimes against Jewish Americans, particularly since the onset of the Israel-Hamas conflict. The ADL indicated that antisemitic events Oct. 7, 2023. Moreover, a report from February 2025 revealed that 33% of American Jews reported being personally subjected to antisemitism, either physically or online, at least once in the past year.
A recent incident in June and another in Washington, D.C., in May, represent two occurrences of anti-Jewish violence that have unsettled communities across the U.S.
Concurrently, a statement was issued on Friday condemning Trump’s “profoundly perilous” employment of the term “Shylocks,” describing it as “one of the most archetypal antisemitic insults in his comments,” and asserting that this event “comes after years during which Trump has mainstreamed antisemitic stereotypes and conspiracy theories.”
Jewish congressional representatives have also spoken out to denounce the word’s usage. Representative Jerry Nadler, a Democrat from New York, commented, labeling it “among the most identifiable antisemitic insults in the English lexicon” that has “incited prejudice, animosity, and aggression towards Jews.”
Nadler stated, “I denounce Donald Trump’s hazardous application of this overtly antisemitic insult and his extensive record of disseminating antisemitic stereotypes.” He continued, “I have frequently remarked that if Donald Trump genuinely intended to combat antisemitism, he could begin with the antisemites within his own Administration… If Donald Trump were earnest about combating antisemitism, he could start with himself.”
This incident is not the first to raise alarms concerning Trump’s deployment of antisemitic stereotypes.
Previously, Trump seemed to engage in an antisemitic stereotype suggesting Jewish people exert hidden control. In 2015, at an event, he informed the audience, “I don’t need your funds. You wish to influence your own politicians.”
Leading Jewish figures also voiced apprehension regarding Trump’s statements in 2019, when he remarked: “In my view, if you cast a vote for a Democrat, you are demonstrating significant disloyalty to Jewish individuals, and you are being significantly disloyal to Israel… and only feeble individuals would state otherwise.”
This remark followed closely on his previous assertion: “I believe any Jewish individuals who vote for a Democrat, I think it signifies either a complete absence of understanding or profound disloyalty.”
In response to Trump’s “disloyalty” comments, they stated that the President had “indicated clearly that he believes Jews possess a dual allegiance to Israel. This antisemitic stereotype has served to persecute Jewish people for hundreds of years, and its propagation is intolerable.”
In 2021, he also, asserting in an interview that “Jewish people in this nation no longer have affection for Israel. I can tell you that evangelical Christians hold more love for Israel than the Jews in this country.”