Trump Reacts To Use Of Antisemitic Slur At Iowa Rally: I've Never Heard It That Way'

President Donald Trump reacted on Friday to the use of an antisemitic slur during a rally in Iowa the day prior, rejecting knowing that's what the word he used meant.

Concretely, Trump used the slur "shylock" when describing unethical bankers, a term that was condemned as "extremely offensive and dangerous."

"No estate tax, no going through the banks and borrowing from—in some cases a fine banker—and in some cases a shylocks and bad people," Trump told a crowd in Iowa on Thursday evening.

The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) responded early Friday morning, describing Trump's use of the word as "very troubling and irresponsible."

"The term 'Shylock' evokes a centuries-old antisemitic trope about Jews and greed that is extremely offensive and dangerous," the ADL posted on X. "Words from our leaders matter and we expect more from the President of the United States."

Asked about his use of the term on Friday, Trump told journalist he "never heard it that way." "To me, Shylock is somebody that's a money lender at high rates. I've never heard it that way, you view it differently than me. I've never heard that."

Trump's use of the slur created a stir online, with many demanding he apologize. "An immediate apology from Trump for his use of the antisemitic slur is the minimum," wrote journalist Keith Olbermann.

Olbermann contrasted Trump's use of the term with a 2014 incident, when former President Joe Biden said, "These Shylocks took advantage of these women and men while overseas," referencing unscrupulous lending in Iraq.

"The ADL demanded and immediately got an apology from Vice President Biden," Olbermann wrote.

Biden indeed issued a swift and unequivocal apology, noting his friendship with Abe Foxman, the ADL's national director at the time. "Abe Foxman has been a friend and adviser of mine for a long time. He's correct, it was a poor choice of words, particularly as he said coming from 'someone as friendly to the Jewish community and open and tolerant an individual as is Vice President Joe Biden.' He's right."

The present-day ADL has faced scrutiny for its permissive relationship with the Trump administration. In January, the ADL defended Elon Musk on the day of Trump's inauguration when he made a gesture widely interpreted as a Nazi salute, describing it as "an awkward gesture in a moment of enthusiasm, not a Nazi salute."