Trump uses antisemitic slur in remarks promoting his ‘big, beautiful bill’
President Donald Trump used an anti -Semitic insult to describe a speech of exploitation on Thursday when he praised the congress the adoption of his bill on massive domestic policy.
Trump has remarked to monks, Iowa, to what was presented as an event by a non -partisan group to launch celebrations for the 250th anniversary of next year’s independence declaration. But Trump’s campaign style speech quickly took a partisan tone, the president expressing the “hatred” for the Democrats who voted against his “big and beautiful bill”.
While browsing the provisions of the bill, Trump described a aiming to protect family farmers by allowing them to pay a reduced inheritance tax during the transfer of ownership to their children.
“No tax on deaths, no inheritance tax, not to go to banks and borrowing, in some cases, a good banker, and in some cases, Shylocks and bad people,” said Trump. “They destroyed many families, but we did the opposite.”
Questioned by journalists after his speech on anti -Semitic connotations of the term, said Trump, “”I have never heard it this way.
“For me, Shylock is someone who is a money lender at high rates,” he added.
“Shylock” is a Jewish character in “The Venice merchant”. In its description of Shakespeare’s play, the anti-diploma league notes that the character, which serves as an antagonist, is frequently described as a “accomplice and cruel” silver lender, strengthening the stereotypes of the Jewish people as trying and delicious.
Amy Spitalnick, CEO of the Jewish Council for Public Affairs, said Thursday evening in an article on X that the term is “among the most par excellence anti -Semitic stereotypes”.
“It is not an accident. It follows years when Trump has normalized anti-Semitic tropes and conspiracy theories-and it’s deeply dangerous,” she added.
Former President Joe Biden faced a backlash in 2014 for using the same term while being vice-president. Later, he apologized for the “bad” choice of words.
The anti-diploma league, which criticized Biden’s comments at the time, said that Trump’s use of the term was “very disturbing and irresponsible”, adding that it “emphasizes how lies and plots on the Jews remain deeply rooted in our country”.
“The term` Shylock “evokes a secular anti-Semitic trope on the Jews and the greed which is extremely offensive and dangerous,” the ADL said in a press release on X. “The words of our leaders count and we expect more from the President of the United States.”
Trump’s remark came as he gave a speech of more than an hour praising the adoption of the “great and beautiful bill”, before a joyful crowd of several hundred supporters, some holding signs that read “to make agriculture again great”.
Trump has already faced charges of anti-Semitism, especially in 2024 after his former Chief of the General Staff John Kelly said Trump praised Hitler as doing “good things too”.
During his first mandate, Jewish groups criticized Trump after putting white supremacists singing that “the Jews will not replace us” at the same level as counter-protetants during a white supremacist rally in Charlottesville, in Virginia, in 2017.
During his second term, Trump’s administration created a federal working group which plans to visit 10 university campus in order to “eliminate anti -Semitic harassment”.
The State Department also moved to revoke visas for foreign students involved in pro-Palestinian demonstrations, notably Mahmoud Khalil which was owned for more than two months despite the holding of a green card, for leading demonstrations at Columbia University.
And, the Ministry of Internal Security has implemented a new verification policy in April allowing the American citizenship and immigration services to consider an “anti -Semitic activity on social networks” from abroad “as a reason for refusing requests for immigration benefits, including those requiring the status of a permanent resident.
