Overview
- President Trump used the term “Shylock” at a Kansas campaign rally Monday as he defended Sen. Roger Marshall against reporting that Marshall sued hundreds of patients for unpaid medical bills.
- The word “Shylock” comes from Shakespeare and is widely seen as an antisemitic trope about Jews and money, and the Anti-Defamation League called the usage troubling and irresponsible.
- Trump also claimed doctors were “mandated by law” to sue patients, but local fact-checkers, including the Kansas City Star, rated that assertion false and found no federal or state law requiring such suits or arrest warrants.
- Court records cited in recent reporting show Marshall sued more than 700 patients during his medical career and that dozens of arrest warrants followed missed court dates, a fact Marshall disputes and his lawyer has sought to limit his direct role in.
- The episode deepens political risk for Marshall in a competitive 2026 Senate race and could drive more negative advertising and scrutiny from opponents and advocacy groups in the weeks ahead.