Earlier this year, Donald Trump tried to host a White House event in honor of Navajo Code Talkers, who risked their lives during World War II, but the president failed to stick to his script. He told the veterans “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. They call her Pocahontas.”
Trump’s preoccupation with Sen. Elizabeth Warren’s (D-Mass.) ancestry has been kind of creepy for quite a while. He’s brought it up in interviews, speeches, and as of this morning, a dozen tweets.
This morning, however, we learned the results of the senator’s DNA test, which “strongly support the existence of an unadmixed Native American ancestor.” Warren’s claim, based on family lore, was true.
If you’re curious what Trump’s reaction to the news might be, you’re not alone. Here was the brief exchange with reporters on the White House South Lawn this morning:
Q: Mr. President, your reaction to Sen. Elizabeth Warren releasing the results of her DNA test?
TRUMP: No, I don’t, who cares? Who cares?
Q: Mr. President, you said you’d pay $1 million…
TRUMP: I didn’t say that. I didn’t, you better read it again.
First, “Who cares?” is a hilarious response because no one has cared more about the issue than the president.
And second, if Trump wants us to read the transcript again, I’m game.
In early July, the president held a campaign rally in Montana, and here’s the relevant portion of the transcript:
“She of the great tribal heritage. What tribe is it? Let me think about that one. Meantime, she’s based her life on being a minority. Pocahontas — they always want me to apologize for saying that and I hereby — oh no, I want to apologize. I’ll use tonight. Pocahontas, I apologize to you. I apologize — to you I apologize. “To the fake Pocahontas, I won’t apologize. No, it’s causing problems. You know that’s name causing — because now even the liberals are saying, ‘Take a test. Take a test.’ “You know, the — I tell you, I shouldn’t tell you because I like not to give away secrets but this one. Let’s say I’m debating Pocahontas, right? I promise you I’ll do this. I will take — you know those little kits they sell on television for $2. Learn your heritage. The guy says I was born in Scotland, it turns out he was born in Puerto Rico. And that’s OK. It’s good, you know. Guy says I was born in Germany, well, he wasn’t born in Germany. He was born someplace else. “I’m going to get one of those little kits and in the middle of the debate when she proclaims that she’s of Indian heritage because her mother says she has high cheekbones. That’s her only evidence, that her mother said she had high cheekbones. We will take that little kit and say, but we have to do it gently. Because we’re in the me-too generation so I have to be very gentle. And we will very gently take that kit and we will slowly toss it, hoping it doesn’t hit her and injure her arm even though it only weighs probably two ounces. “And we will say, I will give you a million dollars to your favorite charity, paid for by Trump, if you take the test so that it shows you’re an Indian. You know. And let’s see what she does. I have a feeling she will say no.” Warren has already challenged the president to send his $1 million check to the National Indigenous Women’s Resource Center. I’m starting to get the impression that Trump isn’t prepared to pay up.
Steve Benen is a producer for "The Rachel Maddow Show," the editor of MaddowBlog and an MS NOW political contributor. He's also the bestselling author of "Ministry of Truth: Democracy, Reality, and the Republicans' War on the Recent Past." Recommended
