Trump criticized for using antisemitic slur in Iowa speech
(DES MOINES, Iowa) — President Donald Trump celebrated the passage of his massive tax and policy bill during a “Salute to America” event in Des Moines, Iowa, a day ahead of the Fourth of July.
Jewish advocacy groups slammed President Donald Trump for using an anti-Semitic descriptor on Thursday during his Iowa speech celebrating the passage of his spending bill.
Trump used the term “Shylocks,” which evokes a centuries-old antisemitic trope about Jewish people and greed, to talk about the tax changes in the bill.
“No death tax, no estate tax, no going to the banks and bar exam from, in some cases a fine banker, and in some cases Shylocks and bad people, but they took away a lot of family. They destroyed a lot of families, but we did the opposite,” he told the crowd.
President Donald Trump speaks at a rally at the Iowa State Fairgrounds, July 3, 2025, in Des Moines, Iowa.
Charlie Neibergall/AP
Shylock is a reference to the name of the Jewish moneylender and villain in playwright William Shakespeare’s “The Merchant of Venice” who demands a “pound of flesh” from protagonist Antonio.
The Anti-Defamation League on Friday morning criticized the president, reiterating that the term is “extremely offensive and dangerous.”
“President Trump’s use of the term is very troubling and irresponsible. It underscores how lies and conspiracies about Jews remain deeply entrenched in our country. Words from our leaders matter and we expect more from the President of the United States,” the organization said in a statement.
Amy Spitalnick, the CEO of the Jewish Council for Public Affairs, also condemned Trump’s comments, saying in a statement it was one of “the most quintessential antisemitic stereotypes.”
“This is not an accident. It follows years in which Trump has normalized antisemitic tropes and conspiracy theories — and it’s deeply dangerous,” she added.
Trump was asked about his use of the word after he returned to Washington D.C. early Friday. The president, who has made combating antisemitism in schools a priority in his administration, claimed he has “never heard it that way.”
“To me, Shylock is somebody that’s a money lender at high rates. I’ve never heard it that way. You view it differently than me. I’ve never heard that,” Trump claimed.
This is not the first time that an executive branch member came under fire for using the term.
In 2014, then-Vice President Joe Biden took heat for using the term during the 40th anniversary celebration of the Legal Services Corporation, referring to predatory bankers as “these Shylocks who took advantage of these women and men while overseas.”
Biden apologized after then-Anti-Defamation League National Director Abraham Foxman criticized the use of the term.
“He’s correct, it was a poor choice of words, particularly as he said coming from ‘someone as friendly to the Jewish community and open and tolerant an individual as is Vice President Joe Biden.’ He’s right,” Biden said in a statement.
ABC News’ Benjamin Siegel contributed to this report.
(WASHINGTON) — NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte called President Donald Trump “Daddy” on Tuesday, reacting to the president’s recent use of expletives when he accused Iran and Israel of violating a ceasefire agreement.
Early Wednesday morning during a bilateral meeting between Trump and Rutte during the NATO Summit in The Hague, Netherlands, Trump likened the countries of Israel and Iran to “two kids in a schoolyard” that had a “big fight.”
“You know, they fight like hell. You can’t stop them. Let them fight for about two-three minutes, then it’s easy to stop them,” he continued.
Rutte raised eyebrows when he interjected, “Daddy has to sometimes use strong language to get them to stop.”
“You have to use strong language,” Trump agreed. “Every so often you have to use a certain word.”
One day earlier, Trump became visibly frustrated about the Israel-Iran conflict, blurting an expletive before departing the White House en route to the summit.
Trump was receptive to Rutte’s nickname, saying during a press conference later Wednesday that the secretary-general meant it in an affectionate manner.
Asked if Trump views his NATO allies as his “children,” the president responded, “No, [Rutte] likes me. I think he likes me. If he doesn’t, I’ll let you know. I’ll come back and I’ll hit him hard, OK? He did it very affectionately, ‘Daddy, you’re my Daddy.'”
Rutte later defended his use of the word and continued to pile praise on Trump, describing him as a “good friend.” He also said his language is a matter of taste.
On Trump’s decision to strike Iran and the ceasefire, Rutte said “I think he deserves all the praise.”
Michael Siluk/UCG/Universal Images Group via Getty Images
(WASHINGTON) — Thousands of “No Kings Day” protests are set to be held throughout the country on Saturday to protest President Donald Trump’s administration and to counterprogram the military parade in Washington, D.C., marking the U.S. Army’s 250th birthday.
Here’s what to know about the protests.
What is the idea behind “No Kings Day”?
“‘No Kings Day’ is the largest single-day, peaceful protest in recent American history, made up of millions of normal, everyday Americans who are showing up in more than 2,000 communities around the country to say, ‘we don’t do kings in America,'” Ezra Levin, the co-executive director of progressive organizing group Indivisible, told ABC News on Thursday.
Indivisible and other organizations involved with the coalition coordinating the protests have said that the protests are meant to protest what they say is overreach by the Trump administration on immigration enforcement and deportations, civil rights and cuts to the federal government.
They’ve also pointed to how the military parade is being held on Trump’s birthday. Trump has denied any connection between the parade’s timing and his birthday, pointing to how June 14 is Flag Day.
The groups coordinating the protests originally announced the initiatives in early May, after reports of the upcoming military parade, but organizers have said that the protests against immigration enforcement in Los Angeles and the response from the federal government have driven much more interest to the events.
Where and when will the protests be?
The protests will be held across the country and even beyond the United States, with a flagship event held in Philadelphia. Levin told ABC News there are now more than 2,000 events planned “just about everywhere, everywhere but downtown D.C. — intentionally so.”
According to Levin, the organizers did not want to give Trump a rationale to retaliate against peaceful protests in D.C. or to say that the protesters were protesting the military.
“We are ceding downtown D.C. Trump can have it for that day, and instead, we’re organizing literally everywhere else,” Levin said.
Most of the protests around the country will be held in the morning, ahead of the parade. Some in the western part of the country may occur concurrently with the parade, which is set to kick off at 6:30 p.m. ET.
What has Trump said about the protests?
Asked on Thursday about his thoughts on the “No Kings” protests planned across the country for Saturday, Trump said he did not feel like a king.
“I don’t feel like a king. I have to go through hell to get stuff approved,” he said.
“A king would say, ‘I’m not gonna get this’… he wouldn’t have to call up Mike Johnson and Thune and say, ‘Fellas, you got to pull this off’ and after years we get it done. No, no, we’re not a king, we’re not a king at all,” he added, referencing the Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate Majority leader, respectively.
Trump, on Tuesday, had threatened to use “heavy force” against “any” protesters at the military parade in the nation’s capital; White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt later said that “of course” the president supports peaceful protestors. Organizers of the No Kings protests have continuously emphasized they are not planning protests in Washington.
Are there safety concerns surrounding the protests?
Organizers have emphasized that the protests should remain peaceful and nonviolent, pointing to various trainings they’ve held this week about safety and deescalation.
Levin said there were some concerns about outside agitators trying to disrupt protests, but he said people shouldn’t feel “as if we’re going into battle. That’s not what this is about. This is peaceful protest. People are going to have funny signs, people are going to be dancing, people are going to be chanting, people are going to be expressing their First Amendment rights.”
At least two states, Texas and Missouri, have said they are calling up the National Guard in their states as a precaution against the potential for any violence at protests on Saturday. The governors of both states affirmed that peaceful protests are legal.
What comes next?
The events on Saturday are not meant to be the be-all end-all of the groups’ efforts to protest the Trump administration, Levin said.
“I think sometimes folks think a protest has to be everything. It’s got to solve all your problems … We need persistent, peaceful, people-powered organizing them on the ground in blue states, red states and purple states that allow people to push back against the escalating overreach from this administration,” Levin said.
ABC News’ Hannah Demissie, Lalee Ibssa and Kelsey Walsh contributed to this report.
(WASHINGTON) — President Donald Trump’s strike against Iran will be met with pushback on Capitol Hill this week as some lawmakers argue the military action was unconstitutional.
There are several bipartisan resolutions that could receive a vote in coming days that may put some lawmakers in uncomfortable positions as they consider whether Trump ignored the role of Congress in striking Tehran.
It’s unlikely though, at this stage, that Trump’s rank-and-file Republican base will abandon him by supporting these bills. If any were to make it to Trump’s desk, there likely wouldn’t be enough votes to override his veto.
Trump’s decision to hit Iran in the stated aim of wiping out its nuclear capabilities follows a decades-long pattern of presidents taking military action and not waiting for Congress to sign off. Other examples include Joe Biden’s airstrikes in Syria in 2021, Barack Obama’s military campaign against ISIS in Syria and Iraq as well as George H.W. Bush’s invasion of Panama.
House and Senate lawmakers are expected to receive briefings on the Iran strike on Tuesday.
Trump faces bipartisan blowback Republican Rep. Thomas Massie and Democratic Rep. Ro Khanna introduced a War Powers Resolution last week to prohibit “United States Armed Forces from unauthorized hostilities in the Islamic Republic of Iran.”
Democratic Sen. Tim Kaine is leading a similar Senate resolution, which could come up sometime this week as the chamber tries to move forward with a megabill to fund much of Trump’s domestic policy agenda.
All three appeared on “Face the Nation” on CBS News on Sunday to make their case.
Massie contended there was “no imminent threat to the United States” that would authorize the president to strike Iran without congressional approval.
Kaine similarly said: “This is the U.S. jumping into a war of choice at Donald Trump’s urging without any compelling national security interests for the United States to act in this way, particularly without a debate and vote in Congress. We should not be sending troops and risking troops’ lives in an offensive war without a debate in Congress.”
Kaine added that he hopes Republicans push back.
“I know many Republicans will fall in line and say a president can do whatever he wants. But I hope members of the Senate and the House will take their Article I responsibilities seriously,” the Virginia Democrat said.
Khanna warned there is a possibility the strike is not a one-time occurrence.
“There are people who want regime change in Iran. And they are egging this president on to bomb. I hope cooler heads will prevail,” Khanna said on CBS. “We need to pass Thomas Massie and my War Powers Resolution to make it clear that we’re not going to get further entrenched into the Middle East.”
Trump lashed out at Massie in a lengthy social media post on Sunday, writing the Republican congressman is “not MAGA” and that “MAGA doesn’t want him” and “doesn’t respect him.” Trump said he’ll campaign for Massie’s Republican primary opponent in the next election.
Congress has twice before called out Trump on his use of military force without congressional approval.
In 2019, Congress approved a bill to end U.S. support for the war in Yemen, which Trump vetoed. In 2020, Trump ordered the drone strike that killed top Iranian general Qassem Soleimani. In response, Congress passed legislation seeking to limit a president’s ability to wage war against Iran, which was again quickly rejected by Trump.
What is the 1973 War Powers Resolution? The legislation introduced by Massie and Khanna seeking to limit Trump’s ability to take U.S. military action against Iran cites the 1973 War Powers Resolution, which states that the president “in every possible instance shall consult with Congress before introducing United States Armed Forces into hostilities or into situation where imminent involvement in hostilities is clearly indicated by the circumstances.”
It also states that in the absence of a declaration of war but when armed forces are introduced, the president must report to Congress within 48 hours the circumstances necessitating their introduction and must terminate the use of U.S. armed forces within 60 days unless Congress permits otherwise. If approval is not granted and the president deems it an emergency, then an additional 30 days are granted for ending operations.
Trump admin says strike was legally justified
Top officials defended the military action over the weekend. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said the administration “complied with the notification requirements” of the War Powers Resolution, saying members of Congress were notified “after the planes were safely out.”
Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio also sought to emphasize the U.S. is not at war with Iran.
Trump, though, warned that more strikes could come if Iran doesn’t negotiate a deal.
“If peace does not come quickly, we will go after those other targets with precision, speed and skill,” he said in his address to the nation on Saturday night.
Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham, a vocal supporter of military action against Iran leading up to Trump’s decision, argued on NBC News that Trump has all the authority he needs under Article II of the Constitution.
“Congress can declare war or cut off funding,” Graham said. “We can’t be the commander in chief. You can’t have 535 commanders-in-chief.”
The administration could also cite an existing military authorization as grounds for legal justification for striking against Iran.
The 2001 Authorization for Use of Military Force (AUMF) is a joint resolution passed by Congress that authorized counterterrorism operations by U.S. military forces against those responsible for the 9/11 attacks. Congress passed another AUMF targeting Iraq in 2002. Both have since been cited to authorize military force in more than 20 countries, including Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria and Somalia due to the broad language in the resolutions.
Critics have often said the 2001 and 2002 AUMFs grant the president powers to unilaterally wage “perpetual worldwide wars” and some lawmakers have been keen to repeal it — but those efforts have all been unsuccessful.
