(C) Daily Kos
This story was originally published by Daily Kos and is unaltered.
. . . . . . . . . .
Trump calls bankers “Shylocks." [1]
['This Content Is Not Subject To Review Daily Kos Staff Prior To Publication.']
Date: 2025-07-04
Here it is, the 249th anniversary of the founding of the United States, and I’m writing about a President who openly uses antisemitic language.
WASHINGTON, July 4 (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump drew criticism for using the antisemitic term "Shylock" to describe some bankers during remarks on his signature tax-cut and spending legislation that just passed Congress. […] Shylock is an unscrupulous Jewish money lender in Shakespeare's 16th century play "The Merchant of Venice" and the term, shorthand for loan shark, has long been considered offensive. "The term 'Shylock' evokes a centuries-old antisemitic trope about Jews and greed that is extremely offensive and dangerous," the Anti-Defamation League said in a statement. "President Trump's use of the term is very troubling and irresponsible."
Shylock is the villain of Shakespeare’s “The Merchant of Venice.” Excepting his daughter, he’s the only Jew in all of Shakespeare. Shakespeare gave him some family backstory and a bit of depth, but still, he’s a cruel, greedy, money-grubbing almost-murderer, and that is tied closely in the play to his being a Jew.
You’ve probably heard what Shylock demanded from the merchant who defaulted on a loan: the “pound of flesh nearest the heart.”
The Oxford Dictionary of English defines a “pound of flesh” as “something one is strictly or legally entitled to, but which it is ruthless or inhuman to demand.”
The name came loose and floated free as a generic description of The Greedy Jewish moneylender. And this is how it floated into the mouth of Donald Trump.
Trump has, of course, pled ignorance. From Routers:
"No, I've never heard it that way. To be Shylock is somebody that, say, a money lender at high rates," he told reporters on Air Force One. "I've never heard it that way. You view it differently than me. I've never heard that."
Well, Mister President, I know you’re not big on reading dictionaries, and when you get down to it there’s scant evidence you can actually read, but here’s the Oxford Dictionary of English again:
Skylock: noun offensive, derogatory: a moneylender who charges extremely high rates of interest.
Now, granted, “derogatory” is a four-syllable word and you tend to lose interest in things after the third syllable, so maybe you didn’t know. Maybe you’re really just that fucking stupid.
[END]
---
[1] Url:
https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2025/7/4/2331716/-Trump-calls-bankers-Shylocks?pm_campaign=front_page&pm_source=latest_community&pm_medium=web
Published and (C) by Daily Kos
Content appears here under this condition or license: Site content may be used for any purpose without permission unless otherwise specified.
via Magical.Fish Gopher News Feeds:
gopher://magical.fish/1/feeds/news/dailykos/
