Donald Trump Condemned After Using Antisemitic Slur to Promote His 'Big, Beautiful' Bill, Later Denied Knowing What It Meant
He later denied knowing what the term 'shylocks' meant
Jewish leaders denounced his words, calling his statement 'deeply dangerous'President Donald Trump is facing backlash after he used an antisemitic slur to describe Jewish bankers while promoting his 'Big, Beautiful Bill.'
While speaking in Des Moines, Iowa, on Thursday, July 3, leading up to next year's 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, the 79-year-old politician used a choice word as he addressed the crowd.
"No death tax, no estate tax, no going to the banks and borrowing from, in some cases, a fine banker, and in some cases, shylocks and bad people," Trump said. "They destroyed a lot of families, but we did the opposite."
Shylock is a fictional Jewish moneylender and principal villain in William Shakespeare's play The Merchant of Venice, which was believed to have been written between 1596 and 1598.
Shortly after, Jewish leaders publicly condemned the antisemitic slur.
'Shylock is among the most quintessential antisemitic stereotypes. This is not an accident. It follows years in which Trump has normalized antisemitic tropes and conspiracy theories — and it's deeply dangerous,' Amy Spitalnick, the CEO of the Jewish Council for Public Affairs, tweeted on Thursday.
Her message also included a video of Trump making the remark before a crowd of his supporters.
The Anti-Defamation League also spoke out against his comment.
"The term 'Shylock' evokes a centuries-old antisemitic trope about Jews and greed that is extremely offensive and dangerous. President Trump's use of the term is very troubling and irresponsible,' the organization said.
'It underscores how lies and conspiracies about Jews remain deeply entrenched in our country. Words from our leaders matter and we expect more from the President of the United States,' the statement continued.
Trump later denied knowing the meaning of the word.
'I've never heard it that way. To me, Shylock is somebody that's a money lender at high rates,' Trump told reporters after getting off Air Force One, CNN reported Friday, July 4. 'I've never heard it that way, you view it differently than me. I've never heard that.'
Following his antisemitic slur, Trump went on to sign the 'Big, Beautiful Bill' into law.
It will introduce significant cuts to Medicaid and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) by implementing more requirements on possible beneficiaries.
It will also prioritize funding for deportation and border efforts; diminishes green energy tax incentives and increases the national deficit by $3.8 trillion.
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In early June, Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene said she regretted supporting the bill without reading it.
'Full transparency, I did not know about this section on pages 278-279 of the OBBB that strips states of the right to make laws or regulate AI for 10 years,' Greene tweeted, in part. 'I am adamantly OPPOSED to this and it is a violation of state rights and I would have voted NO if I had known this was in there.'
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