Associated Press
President Donald Trump says he didn’t know the term “shylock” is considered antisemitic when he used it in a speech to describe unscrupulous moneylenders.
Trump told reporters early Friday after returning from an event in Iowa that he had “never heard it that way” and “never heard that” the term was considered an offensive stereotype about Jews.
Shylock refers to the villainous Jewish moneylender in William Shakespeare’s “The Merchant of Venice” who demands a pound of flesh from a debtor.
The Anti-Defamation League, which works to combat antisemitism, said in a statement that the term “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.”
On Thursday night in his speech in Iowa, Trump used the term while talking about his signature legislation that was passed by Congress earlier in the day.
“No death tax, no estate tax, no going to the banks and borrowing some from, in some cases, a fine banker and in some cases shylocks and bad people,” he said.
When a reporter later asked about the word’s antisemitic association and his intent, Trump said; “No, I’ve never heard it that way. To me, a shylock is somebody that’s a money lender at high rates. I’ve never heard it that way. You view it differently than me. I’ve never heard that.”
The Anti-Defamation League said Trump’s use of the word “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.”
21 comments
Joe Smith
July 5, 2025 at 2:16 pm
The AP is really digging deep now. The President that moved the US Embassy to Jerusalem and just knocked out the Iranian nuclear program is now anti-semitic? Keep digging AP.
MaggieC
July 5, 2025 at 4:16 pm
#47 did not come close to “knocking out” Iran’s nuclear program, a fact that even Faux Noise had to admit. Moving the US embassy to Jerusalem had nothing to do with anything but catering to crazy evangelical beliefs about Armageddon.
Mike Smith
July 5, 2025 at 4:26 pm
You are misinformed. How many Presidents told Israel they were going to move the Embassy? Who did it? The Iran nuclear program is in shambles. The B2’s and cruise missiles did their job.
TC
July 5, 2025 at 5:19 pm
Antisemitism is bigotry against Jewish people, not to be confused with support for or opposition to the government of Israel or a U.S. president who moved an embassy to cater to the wants and votes of white christian nationalists right here in the USA. For Trump, being a supporter of the current Netanyahu regime in Israel has nothing to do with the Jewish faith and everything to do with supporting a man who, like Donald, will go back on trial for his alleged crimes as soon as he is out of office, but who, in the meantime, is taking every measure to stay in office.
Michael K
July 6, 2025 at 8:14 am
He moved the embassy because Sheldon and Miriam Adleson told him to and paid him to do so. Follow the money.
Mike Smith
July 6, 2025 at 8:55 am
Wrong again. A law was passed by Congress in 1995. All US Presidents before Trump signed waivers to move the embassy. Trump had the balls to do it.
Michael K
July 6, 2025 at 11:13 am
Miss Spoke: That radical Steve Bannnon – who was in the room in 2018 – confirmed the Adelson command. Read the book.
PeterH
July 5, 2025 at 2:36 pm
“Jews will not replace us” and “…..there are good people on both sides!” This jerk certainly knows how to stay on the front page!
ScienceBLVR
July 5, 2025 at 3:41 pm
A New York Property Developer doesn’t know the meaning of term Shylock? Really? A so call brilliant rough and tumble businessman New Yorker? Yeah, sure, and got a bridge in Brooklyn I can sell you…
Larry Gillis, Director-at-Large, Libertarian Party of Florida
July 5, 2025 at 4:18 pm
GIVE IT A BREAK, AP AND ADL
I get that you hate his guts. I also get that “Victimhood” is a standard histrionic posture to be used, whenever it will advance the Cause, whatever the cause or occasion. However, “Shylock” doesn’t simply refer to Jews, not anymore, and Jews are not victimized by its use. In other words, “Shylock” is an equal-opportunity insult, available for use against all of us.
Trump deserves a verbal flogging, every time he opens his mendacious mouth, but this is not the way to do it.
You discredit yourselves and the rest of us by stunts like this. This dog won’t hunt, Guys. Give it up.
Deplorable Pinellas
July 6, 2025 at 10:30 am
The left always need something to be angry about.
Larry Gillis, Director-at-Large, Libertarian Party of Florida
July 7, 2025 at 1:35 pm
Love simply doesn’t have the ampage that anger and hate do. Everyone knows that.
(Except for us Libertarians, of course. We are the Children of Light, after all).
William
July 5, 2025 at 4:30 pm
A phone call to the President would have been more respectful than publicly bashing him.
Larry Gillis, Director-at-Large, Libertarian Party of Florida
July 5, 2025 at 8:21 pm
Meh. He has flunkies who answer the phone.
TC
July 5, 2025 at 5:05 pm
If Trump is pleading ignorance on that word, I say believe him. He doesn’t read books, doesn’t know history, can’t communicate above a fourth grade reading level. He also doesn’t condemn the many Neo-nazis and white supremacists who openly support him for what they believe (and appears to be) his support of them, so there’s no doubt about who and what he really is.
Mike Smith
July 5, 2025 at 7:18 pm
TDS is very strong with this one. Poor guy can’t get over egg prices down over 60%. Fuel prices at four year lows. Zero! That’s right zero illegals entering the US from the Southern Border in May. Anyone heard from the Houthi’s lately? Oh yes they waved the white flag after Trump pulverized them. No more attacks from them on US merchant ships or Navy ships. I could go on. Trump still running circles around the Biden administration and the auto pen.
Michael K
July 5, 2025 at 7:37 pm
Trump never heard of Project 2025 either. He’s a pathological liar.
Just EARL
July 5, 2025 at 8:19 pm
Chastized, by Earl.
MAGA
Dep
July 6, 2025 at 10:35 am
Looks like the media had to find any little thing to be mad about to write an article.
The average person does not equate the word Shylock with a Jewish person. Or cheapskate.
People say they were “jipped” all the time and don’t realize the meaning behind it. If Biden has used the word no one would bat an eye. If Trump was using the term in a manner to attack the Jews specifically it would be a different story. Anyone with 4 brain cells could see that wasn’t the case. As a Jewish American the term is not offensive because it wasn’t used to be offensive toward my people. Y’all need to get over yourselves and stop finding ways to be social justice warriors.
Paul Passarelli
July 6, 2025 at 1:15 pm
Wow! Slow news day? OK, ok, I would think that in Shakespeare’s time everyone knew Shylock was a banker and coincidentally a Jew. Literary stereotypes exist not to offend, but because they convey well-known information in a concise manner.
I am also 100% certain that Mr Trump wasn’t using the term to convey antisemitic views, but anti-usury contempt.
So, when someone has to reach out ant absorb an insult meant for someone else, and rage that the insult was targeted at them, I think that is the person or group that has the problem.
We cannot continue demonizing all forms of language just because some words make some people uncomfortable. That path leads to absurdity. George Carlin summarized it best in “The seven words you can’t say on television.” from the album “Class Clown” Definitely worth the trouble to find.
MarvinM
July 8, 2025 at 1:12 pm
Testing. Two previous replies to you did not go through, so, this is just a test.
Comments are closed.