At an event honoring Native American Code Talkers who used the Navajo language as a form of coded message during World War II, President Donald Trump repeated a frequent attack against Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA).
“You were here long before any of us were here,” Trump said, “although we have a representative in Congress who they say was here a long time ago. They call her ‘Pocahontas.’”
“But you know what, I like you,” Trump continued to the Native American veterans standing beside him.
Here’s the video: Trump calls Elizabeth Warren ‘Pocahontas’ while honoring Native American code talkers: “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.” pic.twitter.com/hjZ5MInDDf
— Kyle Griffin (@kylegriffin1) November 27, 2017
The attack is based on Warren’s former claim that, according to “family stories,” she had Native American heritage. She had no proof for the claim, which then-Sen. Scott Brown (R-MA) used to attack Warren when she ran against him in 2012. Trump revived the attack in 2016, when Warren campaigned for Hillary Clinton.
Warren responded in an interview with MSNBC’s Ali Velshi shortly afterward.
“This was supposed to be an event to honor heroes, people who put it all on the line for our country, and people who, because of their incredible, work saved the lives of countless Americans and our allies,” she said. “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.”
“Look, Donald Trump does this over and over, thinking somehow he’s going to shut me up with it,” Warren concluded. “It hasn’t worked in the past. It is not going to work in the future.”
This post has been updated.
