Trump under fire for the remark `Shylock ” – Nadler, Adl condemns the language as anti -Semitic

President Donald Trump defended his use of the term “Shylock” during a rally this week, saying that he was not aware that he was considered anti -Semitic by some people.

Trump used the term in his speech in Iowa Thursday, shortly after his signing, a major bill on a major bill was adopted by Congress earlier during the day.

Shylock is the name of the bad Jewish silver lender in “The Mercant of Venice” by Shakespeare, which requires a book of flesh of a debtor.

President Donald Trump speaks to journalists when he arrives at Joint Andrews, Maryland early on July 4, 2025. Trump returns from Iowa where he spoke during the celebration of Halute To America in Iowa State Fairgroups to monks. (Photo by Andrew Caballero-Reynolds / AFP) (Andrew Caballero-Reynolds / AFP)

Trump administrator represses anti -Semitism while the Doj official exposes the “violent rhetoric” of radical demonstrators

Over time, the name has been used more widely to refer to a loan shark or a gourmet silver lender. Today, it can be considered an anti -Semitic insult, in particular when used in reference to the Jewish people.

“No tax on deaths, no inheritance tax, not to go to banks and borrow, in some cases, a good banker and in some cases, Shylocks and bad people,” said Trump, while referring to the elimination by the bill for inheritance taxes and the loan borrowing.

The term did not cause any reaction of the crowd, but his remark quickly exploded online, and he then defended the use when a journalist said that he was widely considered an antiemetic sentence.

“No, I’ve never heard that,” said Trump. “For me, a Shylock is someone who is a lender of money at high rates. I have never heard it this way. You see him differently from me. I have never heard that.”

The Anti-Diffamation League (ADL), which works to combat anti-Semitism, said that the term evokes “a secular anti-Semitic trope on Jews and greed that is extremely offensive and dangerous”.

President Donald Trump is expressed during the American launch event 250 on July 3, 2025, at Iowa State Fairgrounds. (Getty Images)

A suspect accused of the murder of the staff of the Israeli embassy could incur the death penalty

“The use of the term by President Trump is very disturbing and irresponsible,” the ADL wrote in a statement on Friday. “This underlines how lies and plots on the Jews remain deeply anchored in our country. The words of our leaders count and we expect more from the President of the United States.”

Representative Jerry Nadler, D-NY, who is Jewish, accepted and torn Trump for using the term.

“The term` `Shylock ” is one of the most recognizable anti -Semitic insults in the English language,” wrote Nadler on X. “It is a secular trope that fueled discrimination, hatred and violence against Jews for generations. I condemn the dangerous use of this anti -Semitic stage of Donald Trump.

Nadler continued by saying that Trump exploited the rise of anti -Semitism to suppress freedom of expression and that it is not seriously to solve the problem.

Conservative political commentator John Podhoretz, who is also Jewish, took over Nadler.

“I condemn your approval of an anti -Semitic town hall candidate that you have done because you are a loose pusillanime,” wrote Podhoretz, in reference to Nadler approving Zohran Mamdani for the mayor of New York. “At best, Trump told Shylock the same week that he destroyed the Iranian nuclear program. What did you do for the Jews, Jerry?”

Representative Jerry Nadler, D- NY, who is Jewish, criticized Trump for having used the term. (Katopodis / Getty Images Tasos)

Click for the Fox News app

Trump has made the fight against anti -Semitism – in particular on university campuses and thanks to the application of immigration – an absolute priority of his campaign. He signed a decree in January by explaining that all federal agencies identify and apply tools to combat harassment and anti -Semitic violence in higher education. Its administration has also launched surveys on universities such as Harvard, Columbia and UC Berkeley for anti -Semitism allegations and threatened to draw federal funding if they do not act.

His daughter Ivanka converted to Orthodox Judaism in 2009 and is married to Jared Kushner, who is also Jewish.

Democrat Joe Biden, while the vice-president, said in 2014 that he had made a “bad choice” of words a day after using the term remarks for a legal aid group.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.