Trump Backs Marshall With $8 Billion Farm Aid Pitch as 'Shylock' Trope Roils Kansas Race
Updated
Updated · The New York Times · Oct 21
Trump Backs Marshall With $8 Billion Farm Aid Pitch as 'Shylock' Trope Roils Kansas Race
3 articles · Updated · The New York Times · Oct 21
Summary
$8 billion in proposed farm aid became the centerpiece of Trump's Kansas rally for Senator Roger Marshall, as he cast the incumbent as key to relief for farmers hit by high diesel prices.
The event was overshadowed when Trump called Marshall a "Shylock-type guy" while defending his debt-collection record, reviving an antisemitic trope tied to Marshall's past lawsuits against hundreds of patients.
Marshall needs Trump's help but has tried to distance himself from parts of the administration, including immigration crackdowns that have hit farm workers.
Kansas Republicans are shoring up Marshall in a suddenly competitive race: he won by 11 points in 2020, but a Times/Siena poll last month found 55% of Kansans disapproved of Trump's job performance.