At Navajo event, Trump makes ‘Pocahontas’ jibe

President pokes fun at Democratic Sen. Warren

President Trump used his old nickname for Sen. Elizabeth Warren — “Pocahontas” — at an event honoring Native American war heroes.

At what was supposed to be a simple ceremony, Trump stood in front of a painting of President Andrew Jackson, who signed the Indian Removal Act, with elderly veterans of the Navajo tribe.

He didn’t give a speech to honor the Code Talkers, implying that earlier remarks had covered it all.

“You were here long before any of us were here,” the president told the veterans. “Although we have a representative in Congress who they say was here a long time ago. They call her Pocahontas.”

Trump has frequently called Warren, D-Mass. — who has made claims of Native American heritage that critics say cannot be substantiated — by the name Pocahontas, a reference to the daughter of a Native American chief in the 17th century.

The formal setting for the unscripted jab drew immediate backlash, including from Warren, who called the latest quip “deeply unfortunate.”

The comment came during an event honoring the contributions of the Native American Code Talkers, who served with the Marine Corps during World War II. The Code Talkers used their native language to share coded messages when the U.S. military desperately needed a code that the Japanese could not crack.

“This was supposed to be an event to honor heroes, people who put it all on the line for our country, and people who, because of their incredible work, saved the lives of countless Americans and our allies,” Warren said. “It is deeply unfortunate that the president of the United States cannot even make it through a ceremony honoring these heroes without having to throw out a racial slur.”

Sen. Ed Markey, Warren’s fellow Democrat from Massachusetts, also described the president’s words as a slur.

“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,” he said in a tweet.

Social media users were quick to point out the exchange happened right underneath a portrait of President Jackson, who signed the Indian Removal Act in 1830. The act allowed the president to negotiate with tribes to grant unsettled lands west of the Mississippi River in exchange for Native American lands within state borders. The act led to the forced march of the Trail of Tears.

After the event, White House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders said Monday that Trump’s use of “Pocahontas” was not meant as a racial slur.

SUSAN WALSH/AP President Trump holds up the card of Navajo Code Talker Thomas Begay, right, during their meeting at the White House on Monday.