“They call her Pocahontas!”
Trump Tells Veterans of His Insult of Senator Warren
Meeting Native American World War II veterans at the White House, Donald Trump repeats his insult of Senator Elizabeth Warren as “Pocahontas”.
Trump was at a ceremony for Navajo code talkers on Monday — in front of a portrait of President Andrew Jackson, who was known as “Indian Killer” when he fought Native Americans in the early 19th century and signed the Indian Removal Act in 1830 — when he began his tribute:
I just want to thank you because you are very, very special people. You were here long before any of us were here. Although, we have a representative in Congress who has been here a long time…longer than you — they call her Pocahontas!
Trump turned to one of the code talkers beside him, put his right hand on the man’s shoulder and said: “But you know what, I like you. You are special people.”
Trump, who often tries to belittle his political opponents with derisory nicknames, has referred to Warren since last year as Pocahontas, the Native American teenager renowned for her association with the first permanent colonial settlement at Jamestown, Virginia.
The Senator has claimed Native American heritage, prompting criticism from conservative lawmakers.
In May, the National Congress of American Indians, the largest and oldest group representing Native Americans, called out Trump after he again used the Pocahontas label in a speech to the National Rifle Association: “we cannot and will not stand silent when our Native ancestors, cultures, and histories are used in a derogatory manner for political gain.”
“Insensitive References”
Navajo Nation President Russell Begaye said on Monday that he appreciated “the honor and recognition that has been bestowed upon the Navajo Code Talkers” and continued, “All tribal nations still battle insensitive references to our people.”
Warren responded:
It is deeply unfortunate that the President of the United States cannot even make it through a ceremony honoring these heroes without having to throw out a racial slur. Donald Trump does this over and over thinking somehow he is going to shut me up with it. It hasn’t worked out in the past, it isn’t going to work out in the future.
White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders insisted that the use of “Pocahontas” was not a racial slur and that it “certainly was not the President’s intent” to use the label in that manner. She then tried to divert attention to Warren: “I think Senator Warren was very offensive when she lied about something specifically to advance her career, and I don’t understand why no one is asking about that question and why that isn’t constantly covered.”