Overview

• At his July 3 Des Moines rally, Trump described some bankers as “shylocks” while celebrating Congress’s passage of the Big Beautiful Bill.
• The term “Shylock” refers to a Jewish moneylender in Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice and is widely regarded as an antisemitic slur.
• Video clips of the remark spread quickly on social media, drawing swift denunciations from users and commentators accusing him of anti-Semitism.
• When questioned afterward, Trump said he had “never heard” the term could be offensive and has not issued a formal apology.
• The incident recalls Vice President Joe Biden’s 2014 use of the same word, which prompted an apology following criticism by the Anti-Defamation League.