Trump’s Shylock Slur: Plausible Deniability in Modern Propaganda
By Michael Kelman Portney
He didn’t just say a slur—he ran a psyop.
I. Introduction: The Nazi Salute & the Slur That Slipped Through
On January 20, 2025, Elon Musk took the stage at Donald Trump’s inauguration celebration and—in plain sight—performed a straight-arm gesture widely interpreted as a Nazi or fascist Roman salute. He raised his hand high, palm down, turning to the crowd behind him, and said, “My heart goes out to you.” Multiple experts, including NYU historian Ruth Ben-Ghiat, called it “a Nazi salute…a very belligerent one,” and German media treated it as criminal due to strict laws against fascist symbols.
Yet instead of owning it, Musk did what soft-power propagandists have done for centuries: he shrugged it off. He dismissed the uproar as “dirty tricks” and accused the media of smear campaigns. His estranged daughter even tweeted: “Plausible deniability honey. Just saying.” That single phrase explains everything. Explain without explaining. Apologize without saying sorry. The press obsesses over whether it “counts”; the base interprets it as they choose. Mission accomplished.
This is the playbook. Musk used coded body language, then claimed innocence. Now Trump—knowing exactly what the fallout would be—dropped the word “Shylock” to describe bankers in Iowa on July 3. He called them “Shylocks and bad people,” then shrugged, “I never heard it that way; I meant lenders.”
No, Elon didn’t accidentally salute Hitler. And Trump didn’t accidentally use an antisemitic slur. These weren’t mistakes—they were propaganda experiments hidden in plain sight, designed to ignite outrage they could then dodge by whining, “I didn’t know.”
II. The Word "Shylock" and Its Violent Legacy
1. Shakespeare’s Villain
The term "Shylock" originates in William Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice, written around 1596. Shylock is a Jewish moneylender portrayed as greedy, cruel, and vengeful—demanding a literal “pound of flesh” from a debtor as repayment. He was a product of antisemitic tropes common in Elizabethan England, when Jews were officially banned from living in Britain.
2. From Character to Slur
Over the centuries, "Shylock" evolved into a pejorative. It came to mean a predatory moneylender, specifically one imagined to be Jewish. By the 20th century, the term had been used in racist cartoons, right-wing conspiracy literature, and Nazi propaganda. It is one of the most enduring pieces of antisemitic linguistic residue in the English language.
3. A Known Hate Word
The Anti-Defamation League has repeatedly condemned the term. In 2014, Joe Biden used it during a speech and was publicly chastised. He apologized immediately. Why? Because people in politics know it’s a slur. So when Trump says he “never heard it that way,” he’s either lying, or terminally unfit for office.
III. Trump’s Pattern of Coded Bigotry
This wasn’t an isolated incident.
In 2019, Trump accused Jewish Democrats of being “disloyal,” invoking a trope of dual loyalty.
He has repeatedly used the term “globalist” as a stand-in for international Jewish elites.
In 2017, he famously said there were “very fine people on both sides” in Charlottesville.
He pointed to a Black man at a rally and said, “Look at my African-American over here!”
This is calculated. It follows a formula: say the thing, stir up the reaction, deny the intent. His base cheers, the media spirals, and his opponents get sucked into arguing semantics.
IV. The Anatomy of Plausible Deniability
Plausible deniability is a form of informational judo. The trick is to make the offensive message loud enough to activate your base but subtle enough to give yourself an escape route.
How It Works:
Dual Meaning: The statement has an innocent surface meaning and a hateful subtext.
Media Ambiguity: Outlets can’t definitively call it what it is, so they dance around it.
Base Loyalty: Supporters hear the dog whistle and love the media outrage.
Victim Narrative: When called out, claim persecution. The outrage becomes fuel.
This isn’t clumsiness. It’s strategy.
V. Classical Roots of the Trick
This method isn’t new. It’s as old as politics itself.
Cicero
The Roman orator emphasized insinuation. He taught speakers to destroy opponents without direct accusations. The key was to appear dignified while planting destructive seeds in the audience's mind.
Aristotle
In Rhetoric, Aristotle describes the power of kairos (timing) and ethos sabotage. You don’t call your opponent evil; you imply they are untrustworthy, planting doubt.
Leo Strauss
Strauss taught that philosophers write on two levels: the surface for the masses, the subtext for the wise. This duality became a core tactic in neoconservative circles.
Goebbels and Hitler
Both mastered the art of coded hate. Say the thing subtly. Say it often. Let others fill in the blanks. When accused, point to the accuser and call them crazy.
Roy Cohn
Trump’s mentor taught him the golden rule: “Never apologize. Always attack. Shift the frame.” Trump didn’t invent the game. He just plays it better than anyone.
VI. Why Say It Now?
The timing of the Shylock comment wasn’t accidental. Trump had just secured a massive tax-and-spending bill. He was positioning himself as the man who would destroy the “death tax” and beat the banks.
In that context, calling lenders “Shylocks” is a rhetorical torpedo aimed at:
Jewish elites
Financial institutions
His opponents’ donor class
It’s antisemitism baked into populist rage. The perfect wedge.
VII. Why It Works in the Age of AI and Attention Warfare
The Amplification Loop:
Trump says the thing.
Twitter lights up.
News outlets cover the controversy.
His defenders spin it as innocent.
The algorithm rewards engagement.
The cycle repeats.
In this climate, ambiguity is king. If you can provoke outrage and claim innocence, you’re untouchable. That’s why this strategy thrives.
VIII. The Real Danger: Normalization Through Ambiguity
Every time this happens and we pretend it’s a mistake, we move the line. The unacceptable becomes controversial. The controversial becomes normal. And hate slithers in through the cracks of polite society.
This is semantic normalization. The slow drip of plausible deniability erodes the public’s ability to distinguish between rhetoric and reality.
IX. Conclusion: Stop Pretending It Was an Accident
Elon Musk didn’t flinch. He gave a Nazi salute and called it something else. He relied on plausible deniability and walked away smirking.
Trump didn’t flinch either. He said “Shylock” and dared you to notice.
They are operating from the same script. One designed not just to manipulate the truth, but to hollow it out completely.
This isn’t about feelings. It’s about function. And the function of propaganda is to shift power without ever stating the goal.
So if you’re still wondering whether Trump meant it that way, you’re already behind.
He did.
And he counted on you not knowing how to respond.
Don’t give him that win.
Call to Action: Train your ear. Learn the trick. And every time you hear a slur wrapped in plausible deniability, name it for what it is: a psyop.
