Trump Uses Antisemitic Slur While Defending Kansas Senator

President Donald Trump used an antisemitic slur while defending Republican Senator Roger Marshall at a rally near Wichita, Kansas, on Monday, October 19, 2026. The remark drew scrutiny after the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) condemned the term without naming Trump, prompting criticism that the civil rights organization applies its standards inconsistently.

Trump defended Marshall, a physician who has faced criticism over lawsuits against more than 700 patients with outstanding medical bills, 18 of whom were arrested. The president claimed Marshall was legally required to pursue unpaid debts, including a bill of just $101, although the source article states that no such law exists.

Trump said Marshall had been unfairly criticized because of the alleged legal obligation.

"was given a bum rap because he was mandated by law to request strongly, money owed from patients. You're not allowed not to do it. You have to, by law, go after those people." Trump told supporters.

The president then criticized Marshall's opponents, including Democratic rival Adam Hamilton, whose campaign advertisement featured some of the senator's patients.

"they made it like, oh, he was some kind of a Shylock-type guy." Trump said.

Trump continued to defend Marshall by asserting that failing to pursue the debts would expose him to criminal consequences, repeating a claim that the source article says is false.

"If he didn't make these requests, he would be breaking the law. He would have been breaking a very strong criminal law, and he would be subject to criminal arrest and liability," Trump claimed.

The term Shylock refers to the Jewish moneylender in William Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice and has long been used as an antisemitic stereotype associated with greed and financial exploitation. Trump's remark came approximately 15 months after a similar controversy involving his language at a rally in Iowa.

On July 3, 2025, Trump discussed inheritance taxes affecting family farms and referred to borrowing from certain lenders.

"going to the banks and borrowing from, in some cases a fine banker, and in some cases shylocks and bad people" Trump said.

The following day, the ADL criticized the president's language. When a reporter asked whether he intended to use the word to refer to Jewish people, Trump denied that interpretation.

"No, I've never heard it that way," Trump replied.

He then explained his understanding of the term while rejecting the suggestion that he had intended an antisemitic meaning.

"To me, a shylock is somebody that's a, uh, a moneylender at high rates. I've never heard it that way. You view it differently than me.

I've never heard that." Trump said.

The ADL described its mission as protecting Jewish people and opposing antisemitism. Its national director had previously accepted an apology from then-Vice President Joe Biden in 2014, after Biden used the same term to describe people who financially exploited American service members, calling the incident a learning opportunity.

Following Trump's latest remarks, the organization published a statement on Tuesday, October 20, without identifying the president or mentioning his Kansas speech.

"The term 'Shylock' is rooted in a longstanding antisemitic stereotype. Regardless of intent, its use can reinforce harmful tropes about Jews and normalize language that has long been used to target the Jewish community." the ADL posted on X.

Matt Duss, a former foreign policy adviser to Senator Bernie Sanders, criticized the organization's decision not to identify Trump. Critics of the ADL have accused it of applying antisemitism allegations selectively, particularly in disputes involving criticism of Israel.

Duss argued that the organization would have responded more directly if a Democrat had used the term.

"If a Democrat said it Jonathan Greenblatt would be knocking people over to get in front of a camera to condemn them by name, but it was Trump so it's just a general public service announcement," Duss wrote.

Separately, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he had held substantive discussions with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio about military assistance and warnings of Russian attacks.

"I am grateful for his readiness to help and his clear position," Zelenskyy said. "First, ballistic missile interceptors, which are needed to protect lives. Second, early warning of Russian ballistic missile attacks, which is vital. Third, the situation with Starlink/Starshield, which needs to be restored."

The discussion came amid renewed tensions between Zelenskyy and Trump after the US president waived broad sanctions and tariffs on Russia for 60 days. Zelenskyy and several allies criticized the decision, arguing that it benefited Moscow. Kyiv has also reported disruptions to US intelligence sharing that officials say have affected Ukraine's defenses against Russian attacks.

Speaking to reporters in India, Rubio denied that Washington had deliberately restricted assistance to Ukraine.

"there has not been some deliberate political directive to go out and harm Ukraine" Rubio told reporters.

Rubio also rejected claims that US intelligence restrictions had caused Ukrainian deaths, describing such allegations as unacceptable.

"I saw somebody associated with the Ukrainian government say that people in Ukraine are dying because the U.S. is denying them information. That's scandalous. That's outrageous," Rubio added.

The secretary of state said US officials were reviewing apparent airstrikes against Ukraine that had gone undetected on October 13 and October 18. He said the incidents appeared to involve a technical problem rather than a deliberate policy decision.

"technical matter" Rubio said, describing what he believed had occurred to the extent that the reported failures were confirmed.

Rubio maintained that the United States had not instructed officials to withhold advance warnings of Russian attacks and said existing warnings were continuing.

"It was not the result of any sort of U.S. directive not to provide advance warning of a strike, and we are providing the same warnings to them now that we always have," Rubio said.