ELIZABETH WARREN REFERRED TO AS ‘POCAHONTAS’ BY U.S PRESIDENT DURING MEETING WITH NATIVE AMERICANS…
ELIZABETH WARREN REFERRED TO AS ‘POCAHONTAS’ BY U.S PRESIDENT DURING MEETING WITH NATIVE AMERICANS…
President Trump has
been criticized for using a racial slur during an event honoring Native
American veterans. The US president was welcoming three Navajo code talkers
from the Second World War to the Oval Office on Monday afternoon when he
referred to Elizabeth Warren, the Democratic senator, as
"Pocahontas".
During remarks praising their service, he said: "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. But you know what, I like you." Two
Second World War Navajo "code talkers" stood at the podium, with
a third seated in a wheelchair as Mr Trump made the remarks, which were greeted
with awkward silence. They were among 29 young volunteers from the Navajo tribe
who joined the Marines in 1942 and created a secret code for the military using
the Navajo language as a code.
The president has repeatedly mocked the
Massachusetts senator for claims she made about being part Native American. In response, Ms Warren
said on MSNBC: "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." Defending Mr Trump's
remarks, the White House press secretary Sarah Sanders said: "I think what
most people find offensive is Senator Warren lying about her heritage.
"The president finds an extreme amount
of value and respect in these individuals." Mr
Trump first used the phrase during the 2016 presidential election, in which Ms
Warren was running as a candidate for the Democratic nomination. In 2012
Ms Warren claimed she had Native American heritage, citing "family
stories" passed down through generations as evidence.
"I
am very proud of my heritage," she told NPR in 2012. "These are my
family stories. This is what my brothers and I were told by my mom and my
dad...This is our lives. And I'm very proud of it."
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