No, he did not.
And no, I am not. That is not an original or novel idea, since I got it from a dude with a PhD in a bunch of biblical stuff.
To quote the relevant passage from Matthew 21 (NASB 2020):
12 And Jesus entered the temple area and drove out all those who were selling and buying on the temple grounds, and He overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who were selling doves. 13And He *said to them, “It is written: ‘My house will be called a house of prayer’; but you are making it a den of robbers.”
Notice the specificity: He did NOT call them thieves.
They were conducting business, but INSIDE the temple *where* they were not supposed to do that. THAT was the issue.
I am VERY unoriginal in everything Biblical. I don't know enough to claim any authority, but I can read pretty well, and have learned to not read into the text.
To wit:
Catholic Answers
Jesus Cleansing the Temple—Why and When?
All four Gospels record the fact that Jesus cleared the temple in Jerusalem of buyers and sellers. Why did he do this? What’s more, when did he d...
There's a Catholic source for you that seems to corroborate my reading.
So . . . Whatcha think?
