At a campaign-style rally in Des Moines, Iowa, former President Donald Trump used a word that many people think is antisemitic to talk about dishonest bankers. This got him a lot of flak. Trump’s use of the term “Shylocks” in a speech celebrating the passing of new tax laws sparked new worries about the casual usage of negative stereotypes in public discourse.
Shylock is a character in Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice who is a Jewish moneylender who is angry and selfish. Over the years, the word has changed into a negative phrase for dishonest lending methods, and it is commonly used to make Jewish people look bad by using financial stereotypes. Groups like the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) have been warning against its use for a long time because it brings back deep cultural and historical traumas. Abe Foxman, who used to be the director of the ADL, said, “No matter how you use it, Jews still see it as an antisemitic term.”
Later, Trump said he didn’t know the term was insulting, stating, “I’ve never heard it that way.” But detractors say that not knowing doesn’t mean you aren’t responsible, especially for a public figure with a lot of power.
The outcry shows a bigger problem: how easily coded language and antisemitic stereotypes may get into everyday speech, whether people mean to or not. In 2014, President Joe Biden also got in trouble for using the same word. He eventually apologized and said he was wrong, which is something many people don’t expect from Trump.
This debate comes up at a time when people all throughout the world are paying more attention to antisemitism, especially after the Israel-Gaza conflict. As the United States gets closer to its 250th birthday, it has to deal with the language and legacies that make it what it is.
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