Trump’s Latest Tweet about Elizabeth Warren References “Trail of Tears”
Inappropriate sign used at a football playoff game in Alabama caused Cherokee Nation to react.
Published February 9, 2019
Potential 2020 Democratic presidential nomination candidate U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) waves at the crowd ahead of a campaign rally in Lawrence, Massachusetts, U.S. February 9, 2019. REUTERS/Brian Snyder
WASHINGTON — On the day Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) formally announced her 2020 bid for the presidency, Donald Trump could not resist more American Indian taunting as he once again called her Pocahontas and finished with “See you on the campaign TRAIL, Liz!
By capitalizing the word “trail,” some American Indians feel Trump is referring to the Trail of Tears.
To Native people, the Trail of Tears is no funny matter.
The Trail of Tears began in 1831 on orders of Andrew Jackson. The Cherokee, Chickasaw, Choctaw, Muscogee Creek, and Seminole (sometimes collectively referred to as the Five Civilized Tribes) were living as autonomous nations in what is now known as the American South. The Five Civilized Tribes were marched westward from the southeast portion of the United States to Oklahoma.
Thousands died on the removal from the south to Oklahoma.
In November 2013, a group of cheerleaders used the term inappropriately for a pep rally sign at a high school game in Alabama, which caused Principa Chief Bill John Baker of the Cherokee Nation to issue the following statement:
About 16,000 Cherokees began the trek to Oklahoma from our homelands in Alabama, Georgia, Tennessee, North Carolina, South Carolina and Kentucky, but only 12,000 lived through the harsh conditions that winter.
The Trail of Tears was arguably the most horrific period in the Cherokee Nation’s history and among the worst atrocities ever sanctioned by the United States government.
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About The Author
Editor
Levi Rickert, a tribal citizen of the Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation, is the publisher and editor of Native News Online. Previously, he served as editor of the Native News Network. He is a resident of Grand Rapids, Michigan.
I have 2 questions. Do you consider warren to be native? And, do you consider Trump anti native or anti Warren?
I heard Sen. Warren speak at the National Congress of American Indians where she told the story of having Native ancestry in her family. She said it was a part of her family lore passed down through the generations. Native News Online cannot and does not determine who is American Indian.
I believe Trump is anti-Native and anti-Warren.
Growing up Elizabeth Warren was repeatedly told by her family that she was part Indian. Elizabeth has always been proud of that and sought to honor her Native American ancestors. Her work in the United States senate gave her a voice in legislation affecting American Indians today. She is a strong well educated spokeswoman, a natural leader in our country that so urgently needs her.
Some with White Power have ridiculed her for claiming and honoring her Native American ancestors. Why has Red Power rejected her and publicly censured her with harsh condemnation? Many tribes could have welcomed her and embraced her and proudly adopted her as one of their own. Elizabeth Warren is a strong daughter speaking for Indian issues in the halls of government.
We have said that Indianness is not a blood quantum thing, but rather a matter of honoring family and participating in the affairs of one’s tribe. Perhaps an important ally in government is being needlessly condemned. And even the chance to have a Native American for president is being overlooked. EON
Interesting take, Edyth. But you would be hard pressed to find any impressive record of her supporting or introducing legislation addressing Indian concerns. She was silent during Standing Rock (whether you agree or not about its legitimacy) and she’s been largely silent on conditions plaguing Indian Country. Most telling is her steadfast refusal to meet with the American Indian delegation and Native journalists at the Democratic National Convention or with a group of Cherokee women who traveled hundreds of miles to meet with her. She is a phony who is only concerned with herself. Our President, on the other hand, is concerned with all Americans including Native ones and is doing great things to improve our lives.
Trump is a classist snob. He used to date a bi-racial woman before he married Melania. Trump is about money & power by any means. When Native Gaming laws were enacted, Trump became bitter because his Atlantic City was failing to begin with, so he fought against Native Gaming. No, I am not supporting Trump. Warren is problematic because she is the typical relentless Wannabe Indian. They are like Vampires and cannot be stopped. I have ran into so many during my years of filming in Native Country. It is a form of Disrespect to play Cowboys & Indians. If she is so Smart, and way back in 1984 she was putting recipes into Pow Wow Chow at the 5 Tribes museum,….you would think she could actually have befriended an actual Cherokee citizen to get herself educated. Nope. Ego tripping White girl.
I did not realize that natives were now relying on blood lines to prove native descent. She is a voice for the native people and instead of being shunned by the natives. This should be happy thing,to have someone in the senate and and potentially POTUS. If she is hoping to gain politically from being native that would be a different story, if anything it has made her campaign more difficult because of racial discrimination and profiling. She is not doing herself a favor by claiming native roots when it comes to government politics. Now is a time to just hope that maybe this woman can remove Trump from election in 2020.as long as she is not misinforming the general population of native Americans or disrespecting the culture then she has every right to be proud of her native roots no matter how small that root may be.
I’m not concerned with the social media tit-for-tat about Elizabeth Warren
What are the positions of these presidential candidates on an international platform?
Getting elected & having codes to launch the nukes is more important. A female U.S. President will be facing a man’s world. Almost all are male. Mexico, Central America, South America, Mideast, Asia, Africa & EU.