By Jennifer A. Dlouhy and Kate Sullivan President Donald Trump used an antisemitic term during a rally in Kansas as he came to the defense of Republican Senator Roger Marshall, who faces a surprisingly competitive race in a deeply red state.

Marshall, an obstetrician-gynecologist, has faced complaints over his old medical practice’s billing and debt collection methods. Trump on Monday said the senator had received a “bum rap” and was portrayed as “some kind of a Shylock-type guy.”“He was mandated by law to request, strongly, money owed from patients,” Trump said at a rally in Park City, Kansas. “They made it like, oh, he was some kind of a Shylock-type guy, and if he didn’t make these requests, he would be breaking the law.”Shylock is the name of a rapacious Jewish moneylender in William Shakespeare’s play and the term has long been considered antisemitic.

Trump faced criticism last year when he used the word during a speech in Iowa to describe some bankers. At the time, the Anti-Defamation League, which monitors hate-related incidents against Jews, called the move “very troubling and irresponsible.”

Afterward, Trump said he didn’t know that “shylock” was considered antisemitic, telling reporters that “I’ve never heard it that way.”The New York Times reported in September that Marshall’s former medical practice sued more than 700 patients with outstanding bills and in 81 of those cases, patients were arrested for missing court appearances. Some had their paychecks and bank accounts garnished and charged annual interest rates of 18%. A spokeswoman for Marshall told the paper he cared for patients regardless of their ability to pay and that judges issued warrants for people who miss court dates.

Trump has used increasingly bellicose rhetoric during his campaign-trail blitz on behalf of House, Senate and gubernatorial candidates, as Republicans face the prospect of losing control of Congress in the November midterm elections. Trump has spent much of his time in traditionally safe states, as GOP candidates there have been put on the defensive over the high cost of living and the war in Iran.

The president on Monday labeled Marshall’s Democratic challenger, Methodist minister Adam Hamilton, a “pervert.”Hamilton has faced scrutiny over his church’s handling of a decades-old child sexual abuse incident. He was not accused of misconduct himself and has denied any cover up. Court records reported by the Kansas City Star showed the church carried out an internal investigation of the incident and reported it to authorities.

“Roger Marshall’s campaign is sinking, and Washington is panicking. They’re sending in reinforcements to lie and attack Adam Hamilton to try to save Marshall. But nothing said at the rally can distract from the fact Kansans are being crushed by rising gas and diesel prices, struggling to access affordable healthcare, and are tired of Washington corruption,” Tyson Brody, a Hamilton campaign spokesperson, said in a statement.

The president again called Abdul El-Sayed, the Democratic Senate nominee in Michigan who is Muslim, “Mohamed.”El-Sayed’s full name is Abdulrahman Mohamed El-Sayed, but the president has increasingly referred to El-Sayed as Mohamed.

Trump joked about how common the name is among Muslims. “One good thing: if you call somebody from that part of the world Mohamed, you’re about 65% sure to get it right. So if you have any problem with names, just call the guy Mohamed,” Trump said. El-Sayed’s campaign did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Last week, Trump said at a rally in Arizona that people who leak information to the news media should be executed.

The president has a history of using stereotypes about Jewish people. In 2015, he told a gathering of the Republican Jewish Committee that they wanted to “control” politicians and suggested that donors in the audience use money to influence politicians. In 2022, he dined with Nick Fuentes, a Holocaust-denying White nationalist.

Trump said during his 2024 campaign that Jewish Americans would be partly to blame if he lost the election to Democrat Kamala Harris.

Like many of his rally speeches, Trump’s remarks Monday covered a wide-range of topics. He invoked violent unrest in France, saying without providing evidence that similar riots could erupt in the US if Democrats win in November.

Trump spent comparatively little time on his decision to relax limits on beef imports in an effort to lower prices, which has frustrated ranchers in Kansas and other heartland states, or his tariff regime.

He touted $8 billion in farmer aid for those struggling with increased fuel and fertilizer costs, as well as boosted biofuel-blending quotas that have been cheered in rural America by corn and soybean growers. Some oil refiners, however, have blamed those mandates for elevating prices at the pump.