Elizabeth Warren Defends Her Native American Heritage While Slamming Trump For Andrew Jackson Portrait

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Last fall, President Trump took his long-standing feud with Sen. Elizabeth Warren to another level when he (once again) referred to her as “Pocahontas” while speaking in front of a portrait of Native American genocide-r Andrew Jackson and honored a trio of Native American Code Talker veterans from World War II. Warren (once again) responded to the incident, calling it “deeply unfortunate” that the President thinks a racial slur will “shut her up.”

Warren went on the offensive Wednesday, appearing at the National Congress of American Indians to speak about President Trump’s behavior. During her speech, Warren made mention of Pocahontas, “the native woman who really lived” who lived a life of “heroism, and bravery, and pain.” Warren then shifted to Trump’s behavior in front of the Code Talkers before segueing to her own heritage, the real target of Trump’s barbs:

“The joke, I guess, is supposed to be on me,” she went on. “I get why some people think there’s hay to be made here. You won’t find my family members on any rolls, and I’m not enrolled in a tribe. And I want to make something clear. I respect that distinction. I understand that tribal membership is determined by tribes—and only by tribes.”

“I never used my family tree to get a break or get ahead,” she said. “I never used it to advance my career. But I want to make something else clear too: My parents were real people.”

Warren said that her mother’s family was part Native American and her father’s parents “were bitterly opposed to their relationship.” They eloped anyway.

Warren ended her speech with a promise to amplify the stories of Native Americans whenever someone tries to discredit her or her family’s story, and it looks like her words were received well.

(Via Boston Globe)

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