Trump casually drops antisemitic slur during Iowa rally
President Donald Trump casually used an antisemitic slur during his Thursday night rally in Iowa.
Trump was talking about a provision in his mega budget and domestic policy bill that made the $15 million estate tax threshold permanent. That means people who own estates valued at less than $15 million can transfer them to their children or heirs tax-free.
"Before Trump, you were losing farms to the banks," Trump told the crowd. "Before Trump, we were losing farms like you'd never seen before. You love your children, you don't feel so well, and you pass away. You leave everything to your children, and they have to pay a big estate tax or a death tax, as we call it. And they couldn't do it. They go out and borrow money from a bank to prevent foreclosure. That can happen."
"No death tax. No estate tax. No going to the banks and borrowing from, in some cases, a fine banker, and in some cases, shylocks and bad people," Trump continued.
The term "shylock" refers to a character in William Shakespear's "The Merchant of Venice." It has been used to refer to people of Jewish descent for more than 50 years, according to Time Magazine.
As Vice President, Joe Biden used the term in a 2014 speech in reference to moneylenders who make subprime loans to military families, Time Magazine reported. Biden apologized for using the phrase after being called out by the Anti-Defamation League.