Trump’s ‘Shylock’ comment draws outcry from Jewish groups

US President Donald Trump sparked criticism from Jewish groups after using an anti -Semitic term during a rally.

Trump described some bankers as “shylocks” during the Iowa event. He later said that he did not know that he was considered offensive. Shylock is a merciless Jewish silver lender in Shakespeare’s play, the Venice merchant.

The Anti-Diffation League (ADL), an anti-discrimination Jewish instructor, said that the use of the president of the insult was “very disturbing”.

Former American president Joe Biden used the word Shylock while he was vice-president, later recognizing that it was inappropriate.

During the rally on Thursday to monks, Trump celebrated the adoption of his budgetary bill by the congress this week.

“Think about it: no death tax,” he said. “No inheritance tax. Not to go from banks and borrow, in some cases, a good banker – and in some cases, Shylocks and Bad People.”

The journalists of the Republican President returned to Air Force One in Washington DC after the rally, journalists asked by the journalists on its use of the term. He said he didn’t know he was considered anti -Semitic.

“No, I have never heard that,” said the president. “For me, Shylock is someone who, let’s say, a money lender at high rates.

“I have never heard it this way. You see it differently from me. I have never heard that.”

Congress Daniel Goldman, a Democrat in New York, described Trump’s remarks “a blatant and vile anti -Semitism, and Trump knows exactly what he does.”

The ADL declared in an article on X: “the term” Shylock “evokes an anti -Semitic trope of several centuries on the Jews and the greed which is extremely offensive and dangerous.

“The use of the term by President Trump is very disturbing and irresponsible.”

Amy Spitalnick, head of the Jewish Council for Public Affairs, said that on X, the remark was “deeply dangerous”.

“Shylock is among the most out of excellence anti-Semitic stereotypes,” she said. “It is not an accident.

“He followed years when Trump has normalized anti -Semitic tropes and conspiracy theories.”

Trump’s allies have already rejected any suggestion that he is anti -Semitic, highlighting his solid support for Israel and his close advisers, including Stephen Miller and Steve Witkoff, and his son -in -law, Jared Kushner, are Jewish.

The president’s administration launched a campaign to eliminate anti-Semitism on university campuses, aroused federal funding from certain institutions, such as Harvard, and take measures to expel pro-Palestinian activists who are in the United States on student visas.

The president of the vice, Biden, a democrat, used the term Shylock in 2014 during the fight against a legal group.

“People came to him and talked about what happened to them at home in terms of seizures,” he said, referring to the experiences of his son serving in Iraq “, in terms of bad loans who were-I mean, these Shylocks who took advantage of these women and men abroad.”

After a tumult, Biden said that “it was a bad choice of words”.