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Every Time Trump Says ‘Pocahontas,’ He Means to Slur Native Women
When the president evokes Pocahontas’ name in reference to Elizabeth Warren, it is racialized violence
Since August 2014, Donald Trump has been calling Elizabeth Warren “Pocahontas.” By now, it’s no secret that most Natives find this deeply offensive. Yet despite strong rebukes from Indian Country, his inappropriate usage of the name has not ended. In fact, it has escalated. Instead of heeding the words of Natives and our allies, Trump has taken to wielding the name as a weapon in his hateful arsenal of divisive rhetoric — one that he uses to stir up racist, misogynistic vitriol in his base and distract the public from actual policy, as well as from his legal troubles and other scandals.
On August 27, 2019, he did it again. Trump tweeted, “They do stories so big on Elizabeth ‘Pocahontas’ Warren’s crowd sizes, adding many more people than are actually there, and yet my crowds, which are far bigger, get no coverage at all. Fake News!” In response to his latest attack, the National Congress of American Indians (NCAI) issued a statement strongly condemning Trump’s “continued use of the name ‘Pocahontas’ as a slur” and as an “insult for political gain” that “disrespects Pocahontas’ legacy and life.” And that he is. By continuing to use her name…
