Trump Uses Antisemitic Slur While Defending Kansas Senator

President Donald Trump drew criticism from Jewish community leaders and civil rights advocates after using an antisemitic term while defending Republican Sen. Roger Marshall at a campaign rally in the Wichita area of Kansas on October 19, 2026. Trump used the word while responding to scrutiny of lawsuits Marshall filed against patients over unpaid medical bills during his career as a physician.

The controversy also renewed questions about Trump's previous use of the same term in 2025 and the response from the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), a civil rights organization that combats antisemitism. The group's subsequent statement condemned the language but did not identify Trump by name, prompting criticism from commentators who questioned whether the organization was applying its standards consistently.

According to reporting by NBC News, The New York Times previously reported that Marshall sued more than 700 patients over outstanding medical debts. The cases also resulted in numerous arrest warrants for patients who missed court dates. Marshall's lawyer said the senator had no involvement in the warrants or arrests, while Marshall characterized the reporting as a politically motivated attack.

Trump defended the senator's handling of unpaid bills during the rally and challenged the criticism directed at him.

"You have to, by law, go after those people, and they made it like, ‘oh, he was some kind of Shylock-type guy.’ And if he did not make these requests, he would be breaking the law. He would be breaking a very strong criminal law," Trump said.

Trump also argued that Marshall faced legal consequences if he failed to pursue unpaid bills. However, Lawrence Gostin, faculty director of the O'Neill Institute for National and Global Health Law at Georgetown Law School, disputed the claim that the senator was legally required to sue patients.

"He's entitled to sue for unpaid bills but not required to do so," Gostin said.

The term Shylock refers to a Jewish moneylender in William Shakespeare's play "The Merchant of Venice." The character has historically been associated with stereotypes portraying Jewish people as greedy or exploitative, making the term offensive when used to describe someone perceived as financially predatory.

The ADL addressed the controversy in a statement published on X on Tuesday, October 20, without mentioning Trump directly.

"The term ‘Shylock’ is rooted in a longstanding antisemitic stereotype," the organization said.

The group also warned that the expression could reinforce prejudice regardless of the speaker's intentions. Its statement renewed debate over whether public figures face consistent scrutiny when they use language associated with antisemitic stereotypes.

Matt Duss, a former foreign policy adviser to Sen. Bernie Sanders, criticized the organization's decision not to name the president. Duss argued that the response would likely have been more direct if a Democrat had used the same expression.

"If a Democrat said it, [ADL CEO] 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.

Amy Spitalnick, CEO of the Jewish Council for Public Affairs, also criticized Trump's remarks, noting that he had previously faced objections over the same word.

"Tonight Trump yet again used the antisemitic ‘Shylock’ — a year after he was called out for doing so and claimed he didn't know it was problematic," Spitalnick said. "Again: not an accident. He has consistently normalized antisemitic conspiracy theories and tropes."

Jewish community members in Wichita expressed concern that such language could deepen prejudice and division. Grant, a community member interviewed by KWCH, said the remarks affected Jewish people beyond the immediate political controversy.

"Even if he does not realize it, it is an attack on Jewish people in Wichita and everywhere," Grant said.

Grant warned that public attention to offensive remarks can fade over time, potentially allowing harmful attitudes to persist. He emphasized the importance of remembering historical persecution and preventing hostility toward minority groups from becoming normalized.

"The danger is that you should always remember what happened. History always repeats itself, and we do not want history repeating itself again. You know, people going against other groups of people," Grant said.

Trump used the same term during a rally in Des Moines, Iowa, in July 2025, while discussing lenders and a proposal to eliminate taxes on inherited family farms. The ADL condemned that earlier usage as troubling and irresponsible. When questioned about the word at the time, Trump denied knowing its antisemitic connotations and described it as a reference to a lender charging high interest.

Former President Joe Biden also faced criticism in 2014 after using the term to describe people who financially exploited American service members. Biden subsequently apologized, and the ADL's national director described the incident as an opportunity for education.

Marshall, who has represented Kansas in the Senate since 2021, is seeking reelection against Democratic challenger Adam Hamilton, a megachurch pastor and former Republican. The dispute over Marshall's medical billing practices has become an issue in the closely contested campaign, with Trump publicly defending the senator as criticism of the lawsuits continues.