US President Donald Trump provoked controversy on Thursday after using an anti-Semitic slur during a rally in Iowa to celebrate the passage of a key spending bill.
Trump referred to “shylocks,” a term historically used as a derogatory stereotype for Jewish moneylenders, prompting criticism from political figures and Jewish groups.
Speaking at the Iowa State Fairgrounds in Des Moines, Trump said, “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.”
The term “shylock” originates from Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice, where the character Shylock is depicted as a ruthless Jewish moneylender.
Over time, the word has become widely regarded as offensive due to its anti-Semitic connotations linking Jewish people with greed.
When questioned about the use of the term after his flight to Washington, Trump claimed he was unaware it was considered offensive, stating, “I’ve never heard it that way. The meaning of Shylock is somebody that’s a money lender at high rates. You view it differently.”
Democratic Congressman Daniel Goldman from New York condemned Trump’s remarks as “blatant and vile anti-Semitism” and accused the president of deliberate intent.
The incident recalls a similar controversy in 2014 when then-Vice President Joe Biden used the same term to describe exploitative lenders and later apologised, acknowledging it as “a poor choice of words.”
Abraham Foxman, former director of the Anti-Defamation League, commented at the time, “We see once again how deeply embedded this stereotype about Jews is in society.”
Trump had previously vowed to tackle anti-Semitism during his administration, which also took a hard line on university protests related to the Gaza conflict, accusing some institutions of fostering anti-Semitic sentiment and support for Hamas.
