President Donald Trump has spoken out after sparking criticism for using a term widely considered to be antisemitic during a speech. Addressing a crowd in Iowa on Thursday, Trump used the term “Shylock” when discussing his now-signed “ Big, Beautiful Bill. ”

President Donald Trump says he didn’t know that the term “shylock” is considered antisemitic when he used it in a speech to describe unscrupulous moneylenders

President Trump said he was unaware that the term “shylock” is considered antisemitic, after using it during his Iowa speech Thursday to describe lenders that add too many conditions on their loans. Trump said he “never heard it that way” and did not recognize that it was an offensive term for Jewish people.