Donald Trump face backlash for using antisemitic slur ‘shylocks’ during Fourth of July rally speech

US President Donald Trump is facing sharp criticism after using the term “shylocks” during a speech in Iowa on Thursday(July 3) a word long condemned as an antisemitic stereotype rooted in centuries-old prejudice.

Speaking at a patriotic Fourth of July rally touting the passage of his sweeping domestic “mega bill,” Trump praised provisions aimed at protecting family farms. But while criticizing lenders who impose what he called “predatory” terms, 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. They destroyed a lot of families, but we did the opposite.”


The backlash was immediate.

The Anti-Defamation League (ADL), a prominent Jewish civil rights group, condemned the remark on Friday, calling it “very troubling and irresponsible.”

“The term ‘Shylock’ evokes a centuries-old antisemitic trope about Jews and greed that is extremely offensive and dangerous,” the group said in a statement on social media.

Asked by reporters about the comment after returning to Washington, Trump claimed he was unaware of the term’s antisemitic history.

“I’ve never heard it that way,” he said. “To me, Shylock is somebody that’s a money lender at high rates. You view it differently than me.”

What’s the word’s history?

The term “Shylock” originates from Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice, where a Jewish character named Shylock demands a “pound of flesh” from a debtor. Over time, the name came to symbolize exploitative lending, but also became a painful antisemitic caricature of Jews as greedy or ruthless with money.

The controversy isn’t new in US politics. In 2014, then–Vice President Joe Biden used the same word in a speech about military loan scams. He later apologized, calling it a “poor choice of words.”

Pattern of comments

Trump has repeatedly been accused of invoking antisemitic tropes despite portraying himself as a strong supporter of Israel. He faced criticism in 2022 after hosting white supremacist Nick Fuentes for dinner, and has made remarks questioning the loyalty of Jewish Americans who vote for Democrats.

Democratic Rep. Dan Goldman, who is Jewish, slammed the Iowa comment as “blatant and vile antisemitism,” adding that Trump “knows exactly what he’s doing.”

“When words with violent histories are used carelessly, it emboldens hate,” said Amy Spitalnick, CEO of the Jewish Council for Public Affairs. “Leaders must do better.”