The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) has slammed President Donald Trump’s use of a term regarded as an antisemitic slur as “very troubling and irresponsible.”
Trump used the term “Shylocks” while referring to unscrupulous bankers during a speech touting the impact of his One Big Beautiful Bill Act, passed by Congress hours earlier, during a rally at the Iowa State Fairgrounds on Thursday.
“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,” he said. “They destroyed a lot of families, but we did the opposite.”
Scott Olson/Getty Images
In a statement to Newsweek early Friday, the ADL, an antisemitism and human rights watchdog, said 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,” the statement said.
Newsweek has contacted the White House for comment via email.
The Context
Shylock refers to the villainous Jewish moneylender in Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice, who demands a pound of flesh from a character unable to repay a loan. It has long been considered a slur that plays on antisemitic tropes.
Trump has positioned himself as a close ally of Israel, and his administration has focused on combating antisemitism since returning to office in January. This has included signing executive orders and cracking down on universities that it says have failed to address antisemitism on campus.
But he has also faced accusations of antisemitism. On the campaign trial in 2024, he said that if he lost to Vice President Kamala Harris, “Jewish people would have a lot to do” with it.
What To Know
Trump told reporters after the Iowa rally that he had “never heard” that the term could be considered antisemitic.
It sparked a backlash online, with at least one lawmaker calling on the ADL to condemn Trump.
“If @ADL cannot condemn this, they should pack it up. They will have ZERO credibility,” Representative Eric Swalwell, a California Democrat, wrote on X, formerly Twitter.
The ADL had previously criticized then Vice President Joe Biden for using the term “Shylocks” in 2014. Biden later apologized, saying it “was a poor choice of words.”
But the group has faced criticism more recently for its muted response to Trump.
Abe Foxman, the former director of the ADL, was among those who called out the group for avoiding mentioning Trump by name in its response to a campaign rally at Madison Square Garden that was marred by racist and antisemitic comments.
The ADL had posted on X, without naming Trump, that “political rallies should be about politics and policy, not offensive jokes that denigrate Jews, Palestinians, Puerto Ricans, and other marginalized groups.”
An ADL spokesperson later said the group had “clearly condemned the Trump Madison Square Garden rally and the antisemitic, racist, and bigoted comments that occurred.”
What People Are Saying
The ADL said in a statement to Newsweek: “Words from our leaders matter and we expect more from the President of the United States.”
Amy Spitalnick, CEO of the Jewish Council for Public Affairs, wrote on X: “Shylock is among the most quintessential antisemitic stereotypes. This is not an accident. It follows years in which Trump has normalized antisemitic tropes and conspiracy theories — and it’s deeply dangerous.”
Representative Dan Goldman, a New York Democrat, wrote on X: “This is blatant and vile antisemitism, and Trump knows exactly what he’s doing. Anyone who truly opposes antisemitism calls it out wherever it occurs — on both extremes — as I do. Where is @EliseStefanik and the GOP now that antisemitism is coming from Trump?”
Trump told reporters on Thursday after being asked about his use of the term: “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.”
What’s Next
Trump and the White House have yet to issue any further comments about his use of the phrase.
