Navajo Nation President Reacts to Donald Trump’s ‘Pocahontas’ Slur

By Sameer Rao Nov 28, 2017

President Donald Trump used a ceremony honoring Navajo Code Talkers, who built codes from their ancestral language to transmit tactical information during World War II, as an opportunity to slander Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and her claims to Indigenous heritage. While none of the military veterans present publicly reacted to the president calling Warren "Pocahontas" during yesterday’s (November 27) event, President Russell Begaye of the Navajo Nation denounced the slur in this official statement:


“In this day and age, all tribal nations still battle insensitive references to our people. The prejudice that Native American people face is an unfortunate historical legacy,” President Begaye said. “As Native Americans, we are proud people who have taken care of this land long before there was the United States of America and we will continue to fight for this Nation.


Read the full statement via Navajo-nsn.gov.