Trump Uses 'Shylock' Term Again
Was this an antisemitic dog whistle or is the left wrongly attacking a stalwart defender of the Jewish community and Israel?
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Above: Donald Trump speaks in Kansas on Oct. 19. Image credit: Nick Oxford/Bloomberg/Getty Images
The Facts
- U.S. President Donald Trump told a Kansas rally Monday that the press had wrongly portrayed Sen. Roger Marshall (R-Kan.) as a "shylock type guy" over past medical billing, the second time in as many years he has used the term.
- The remarks came at a campaign rally in Park City, Kansas, where Trump defended Marshall after a report said that the senator sued hundreds of patients over unpaid debts while working as a practicing physician.
- Previously, The New York Times reported that Marshall's medical practice sued more than 700 patients over unpaid bills, and that some patients had paychecks garnished while others were arrested after missing court appearances. Marshall worked as an obstetrician.
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The Spin
Anti-Trump narrative
Pleading ignorance only works once, and that excuse expired long ago. Shouting a centuries-old slur about the Jewish community from a rally stage is a deliberate choice rather than a slip of the tongue. Lecturing anyone else about antisemitism rings hollow when Trump keeps using the same ugly tropes from the biggest podium in the country.
Pro-Trump narrative
Once again, judging a lifetime by one Shakespeare reference is absurd. Trump's record shows he has a Jewish family and Jewish advisers at the highest levels, and his support for Israel has meant tough action against Iran, not vocabulary policing. Treating an old-fashioned word as proof of bigotry cheapens the fight against actual antisemitism.
