US president uses term viewed as anti-semitic slur

President Trump used an anti-Semitic slur during a rally in Iowa as he celebrated passage of his marquee spending bill but insisted he did not know the word was offensive to Jewish people.

"No death tax, no estate tax, no going to the banks and borrowings from, in some cases a fine banker, and in some cases shylocks and bad people," Trump told the crowd in Des Moines. The term "shylock" is borrowed from Shakespeare's "The Merchant of Venice." The tale features a Jewish character, who is portrayed as a ruthless moneylender demanding "a pound of flesh" from a merchant unable to repay a loan. The word refers to loan sharks and has long been considered offensive, playing on stereotypes of Jews and greed.

When asked about his use of the term, Trump said he has "never heard that" the word could be considered anti-Semitic. "The meaning of Shylock is somebody that's a money lender at high rates. You view it differently. I've never heard that."