President Donald Trump spoke at an event honoring Native Americans who served in the Second World War, calling Senator Elizabeth Warren “Pocahontas.”
“You were here long before any of us were here. Although we have a representative in Congress who they say was here a long time ago. They call her Pocahontas,” Trump said while addressing the war heroes.
The president made the comments in the Oval Office, accompanied by three Code Talkers who helped U.S. Marine Corps during World War II. They didn’t react to Trump’s remarks. Trump stood before President Andrew Jackson’s portrait, who is known for signing the Indian Removal Act, expelling Cherokees from their land in 1830.
The president has used the derisive nickname before, making fun of Warren’s claim to be of Native American origin. He repeatedly deployed the nickname during last year’s presidential campaign, which Native American leaders deemed offensive and distasteful.
Warren immediately responded to Trump’s comment, saying it was “deeply unfortunate the president of the United States can’t even make it through a ceremony honoring these heroes without throwing out a racial slur,” adding that the event was intended to publicly celebrate Native American war heroes who put their lives on the line.
White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders stood behind the president, saying his comment was not a racial insult.
“I think what most people find offensive is Sen. Warren lying about her heritage to advance her career,” said Trump’s top spokeswoman.
The Navajo Nation said the president’s remarks were culturally insensitive and maintained they will stay out of the “ongoing feud between the senator and President Trump.”
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