President Donald Trump is coming under heavy criticism for once again calling Elizabeth Warren “Pocahontas.” However, the White House is claiming that Trump’s Pocahontas reference was not a racial slur. As seen in the attached video named “White House: ‘Pocahontas’ not a racial slur” by CNN, Sarah Sanders continually said that Pocahontas was not a racial slur and that Trump using Pocahontas to describe Senator Warren was not a racial attack. Instead, Sanders turned the tables and claimed that Warren was the one who was offensive when she allegedly lied about her heritage to move her career along.
“Warren was very offensive when she lied about something specifically to advance her career.”
Trump was meeting with Navajo Code Talkers Peter MacDonald and Thomas Begay in the Oval Office on Monday, November 27, when the controversy occurred. Trump called Warren ‘Pocahontas’ at the event honoring Native Americans, as reported by NBC News, when Trump spoke about the Native Americans being around a long time. That’s when Trump digressed and spoke about Warren being around a long time as well, and called her Pocahontas in the presence of the Native American men.
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“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 has been calling Warren Pocahontas since his 2016 days on the campaign trail, but critics are charging Trump of using the name in a way that is racially divisive. Sanders, meanwhile, claimed that the name in and of itself wasn’t a racial slur and that the media should focus more on Warren allegedly lying about being part Native American.
According to the Hill , Trump said Pocahontas when referencing the nickname he uses for Warren as a joke for Warren’s alleged claims that she is part Native American in her heritage. Sanders said that Trump brought the WWII heroes to the White House because he wanted to honor the men and show them respect. Reporters questioned Trump’s use of the name Pocahontas during the event that should have focused on the heroics of the Native Americans.
JUST IN: Trump calls Warren “Pocahontas” at event honoring Native American veterans https://t.co/zvtfo8N94S pic.twitter.com/BefybPZgn4
— The Hill (@thehill) November 27, 2017
The backlash on Facebook and Twitter over Trump using the Pocahontas slur once more has been swift, with comments like the following flowing into social media.
“What a complete idiotic moron! Does he even know who Pocahontas was?”
“Pocahontas slur again! SMDH!”
“‘..They call her Pocahontas.’ (*crickets*)”
“ @ PressSec says Pocahontas is not a Native American racial slur after Trump singles out Sen. Warren before the Navajo Code Talkers. What warm non-racial slur should I use to describe a racist, fat, lying, molesting Russian traitor President?”
[Featured Image by Susan Walsh/AP Images]
