Trump critics call on ADL to intervene over ‘antisemitic’ remark - we’ve got their response

US president Donald Trump has been accused of ‘antisemitism’ this week after he referred to “shylocks and bad people” during a rally on Thursday – and now people are calling on the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) to intervene.

Speaking in Des Moines, Iowa, Trump told his supporters: “No death tax, no estate tax, no going through the banks and borrowing from, in some cases, a fine banker, and in some cases, shylocks and bad people.”

Shylock is a character from William Shakespeare’s play, The Merchant of Venice. A Jewish money lender, he agrees to loan Venetian merchant Antonio some money on the condition that if the loan isn’t paid back, Antonio must give him a “pound of his own flesh”.

A discussion guide for educators about the play, produced by the ADL in 2006, states: “Certainly one of the most characteristic and troubling aspects of The Merchant of Venice is that the depiction of Shylock reinforces the stereotype of Jews as money-hungry and greedy. This stereotype has been around for centuries, and continues to be perpetuated today.”

More recently, EastEnders and Doctor Who actor Tracy-Ann Oberman, who is Jewish, played the first female Shylock in a production which relocated the story to London in the 1930s.

In 2023, she told The Guardian: “You cannot help but look at when the play was written – a time of huge antisemitism in this country. That was Shakespeare’s world.

“Is it an antisemitic play? I think its legacy is antisemitic. So yes, I suppose it is an antisemitic play.”

Trump later said on Air Force One that he had “never heard” that the word ‘shylock’ could be considered antisemitic, adding that “the meaning of shylock is somebody that’s a money lender at high rates”.

“You view it differently. I’ve never heard that,” he said.

Following Trump’s use of the term, social media users have expressed their disbelief:

And, as stated above, many have asked the ADL to comment:

Eric Swalwell, a Democratic representative for California, warned the ADL would have “zero credibility” and should “pack it up” if it does not condemn Trump’s remarks:

It comes several months after the ADL was criticised at the start of the year for defending Elon Musk’s infamous gesture at an event celebrating Trump’s inauguration, which many claimed was a ‘Nazi salute’, but the organisation argued was an “awkward gesture in a moment of enthusiasm”.

In response to a request for comment, the ADL told indy100: "The term 'Shylock' evokes a centuries-old antisemitic trope about Jews and greed that is extremely offensive and dangerous.

"President Trump's use of the term is very troubling and irresponsible. It underscores how lies and conspiracies about Jews remain deeply entrenched in our country.

"Words from our leaders matter and we expect more from the President of the United States.”

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