Elizabeth Warren addressed the “Pocahontas” nickname, and she burned Trump so hard
One of President Donald Trump’s favorite pastimes is bestowing insulting nicknames on people he doesn’t like. There’s “Sloppy Steve” Bannon, “Crooked” Hillary Clinton, and “Pocahontas” — aka Senator Elizabeth Warren. And Warren addressed the “Pocahontas” epithet today, February 14th.
At a National Congress of American Indians event, Warren referenced Trump’s pejorative and told the story of the real Pocahontas. She talked about how, contrary to depictions of her in pop culture, Pocahontas helped establish trade relations with settlers as a child but was later imprisoned and raped as a teenager.
"I've noticed that every time my name comes up, President Trump likes to talk about Pocahontas," she said, according to a copy of her speech obtained by the Boston Globe. "So I figured, let's talk about Pocahontas. Not Pocahontas, the fictional character that most Americans know from the movies, but Pocahontas, the Native woman who really lived, and whose real story has been passed down to so many of you through the generations."
Warren continued her speech by saying that, although Native Americans have been mistreated for centuries, Trump’s use of the nickname “Pocahontas” during an event honoring Navajo veterans was particularly offensive.
"We have a president who can't make it through a ceremony honoring Native American war heroes without reducing Native history, Native culture, Native people to the butt of a joke," she told the crowd.
I’ve noticed that when my name comes up, @realDonaldTrump likes to talk about Pocahontas. So I figured, let’s talk about Pocahontas. Not the tale that's been twisted for centuries – but the real Pocahontas, and her story of heroism. And bravery. And pain. @NCAI1944 #ECWS2018
— Elizabeth Warren (@ewarren) February 14, 2018
The senator also defended her unverified claims of Native American ancestry that led the president to give her the nickname. She acknowledged that her family was not part of any Native American tribe, but she said that her “mother’s family was part Native American.” And she spoke about how her father’s parents had disapproved of her mother because of this.
I also told the story of my parents, because they were real people too. The love they shared, the struggles they endured, the family they built, & the story they lived will always be a part of me. No one – not even the President – will ever take that part of me away. #ECWS2018
— Elizabeth Warren (@ewarren) February 14, 2018
Warren finished her speech by promising fight for Native Americans in Congress. Boston Globe reporter Matt Viser later tweeted that the audience gave Warren a standing ovation, and that the group’s president had yelled, “We’ve got your back” in response to her speech.
Elizabeth Warren got a standing ovation before and after remarks to the National Congress of American Indians. “We’ve got your back!” the group’s president yelled after her. Reception in the room was all positive.
— Matt Viser (@mviser) February 14, 2018
Trump’s use of the name “Pocahontas” mocks Native American culture, and we’re glad to see Warren condemn it. We hope the senator will use her platform to continue to advocate for Native Americans and for all marginalized people.
