Trump makes 'Pocahontas' joke at event honoring Native American veterans

At a Monday event honoring the Native American Code Talkers, President Trump revived one of his favorite lines of attack against Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., questioning her claim that she’s part Native American and calling her “Pocahontas.”

“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,” Trump said from a podium inside the Oval Office, where he was flanked by Navajo Code Talkers. “They call her ‘Pocahontas.’ But you know what, I like you, because you are special.”

Trump made his remarks standing beneath a portrait of Andrew Jackson, whose military campaigns against Native American tribes in the early 1800s earned him the nickname “Indian Killer.”

Sen. Ed Markey, D-Mass., was quick to come to Warren’s defense.

“What @realDonaldTrump said about my partner @SenWarren is a slur,” Markey tweeted. “It disparages the Native American war heroes, standing right beside the President, who risked their lives to protect his right to make such a disgusting comment.”

What @realDonaldTrump said about my partner @SenWarren is a slur. It disparages the Native American war heroes, standing right beside the President, who risked their lives to protect his right to make such a disgusting comment.

— Ed Markey (@SenMarkey) November 27, 2017

Warren responded in an appearance on MSNBC.

“It’s deeply unfortunate that the president of the United States cannot make through a ceremony honoring these heroes without having to throw out a racial slur,” she said.

At the White House, press secretary Sarah Sanders dismissed the idea that Trump’s remark was a racial slur.

“I think what most people find offensive is Sen. Warren lied about her heritage to advance her career,” Sanders said.

In an appearance on “The Late Show” earlier this month, Warren said Trump’s attacks would not deter her from criticizing his administration.