Trump speaks out after sparking outrage for using 'anti-Semitic slur' | 4 July 2025 | President Donald Trump pushed back at criticism for his use of an anti-Semitic term during his Iowa rally, saying he had "never heard it that way." He used the term while referencing unscrupulous bankers as he touted the impacts of his "big, beautiful bill," which Congress had approved hours earlier. "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," he said. He sparked outrage over his use of "shylocks," which refers to loan sharks and is considered offensive, playing on stereotypes of Jews and money. Trump said he had never heard it used that way. "I've never heard it that way," he told reporters at Joint Base Andrews after his rally. "The meaning of Shylock is somebody that's a money lender at high rates. You view it differently. I've never heard that."