President Donald Trump used an anti-Semitic slur Monday when defending Sen. Roger Marshall, R-Kan., after an article said he sued hundreds of patients for unpaid debts when he was a practicing doctor. Speaking at a campaign rally in Kansas, Trump said the report made Marshall, who is not Jewish, “kind of a shy guy,” using a term widely recognized as offensive toward Jewish people. The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Trump’s comment. Comments. Trump used the same slur last year in a speech to describe exploitative bankers while promoting his sweeping domestic policy bill. Some Jewish groups denounced his use of the term. “Shylock” is a Jewish character in William Shakespeare’s play “The Merchant of Venice”, sometimes called a loan shark. The Anti-Defamation League, in a guide for educators teaching the play, says: “Shylock, and by extension, all Jews, are portrayed as money-hungry, scheming and cruel.” Trump at the time denied any knowledge of the term’s anti-Semitic connotations, saying he had “never heard it that way” and adding: “To me, shylock is someone who is a high-rate lender.” Former President Joe Biden faced backlash in 2014 for using the word, for which he later apologized. Trump speaks at the Heartland Credit Union Arena in Park City. Kent Nishimura/AFP via GettyMarshall, an obstetrician and gynecologist, faced backlash after The New York Times reported last month that he sued more than 700 patients for unpaid bills, resulting in dozens of arrest warrants for missing hearings. His attorney said Marshall had no involvement in the warrants or arrests, and Marshall called the story a “hit job.” “You got screwed with that stuff,” Trump said Monday of the report, addressing Marshall onstage. He did not mention the Times by name. Marshall, who has represented Kansas in the Senate since 2021, faces Adam Hamilton in a closer-than-expected race. Hamilton is a megachurch pastor and former Republican who said he decided to run as a Democrat this year after considering running as an independent. Hamilton has garnered several endorsements from influential Republicans and Democrats in the state. The nonpartisan Cook Political Report characterizes the race as a “disagreement.” NBC News lists him as competitive but leaning toward the Republican Party.
