Trump criticized for again using term ‘Shylock’ during speech at a rally

Several former Republican lawmakers criticized Donald Trump for using the term 'Shylock' during a rally speech defending Kansas Senator Roger Marshall. The term is considered antisemitic. The White House did not immediately respond. The ADL issued a statement about the term's antisemitic roots.

Several former Republican lawmakers on Tuesday criticized US President Donald Trump for again using the term 'Shylock,' which is considered antisemitic. Trump used the term while defending Kansas Senator Roger Marshall against Democratic ads that criticize the physician for aggressive collection of small medical debts. Trump quipped that the ads paint Marshall as a 'Shylock-type guy,' a slur derived from William Shakespeare's 'The Merchant of Venice' that plays on stereotypes of Jewish people. Former Republican congresswoman Barbara Comstock said 'Trump once again lets loose his antisemitic rhetoric' and called it 'a bizarre defense of' Marshall. Former Republican congressman Joe Walsh noted on social media that 'Trump publicly used the antisemitic term again' and predicted 'no one on the right' would condemn it. The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The Anti-Defamation League issued a statement saying the term is 'rooted in a longstanding antisemitic stereotype' but unlike its response to a previous incident, the statement did not name Trump or refer directly to his comments. Trump had previously used the term during a rally in Iowa and said he did not know its antisemitic history.