Sen. Elizabeth Warren’s surprise speech to Native American groups gave Donald Trump a taste of what he fears most is coming his way in 2020.
Our country’s disrespect of Native people didn’t start with President Trump. It started long before President Washington ever took office.
But now we have a president who can’t make it through a ceremony honoring Native American war heroes without reducing Native history, Native culture, Native people to the butt of a joke.
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The joke, I guess, is supposed to be on me.
I get why some people think there’s hay to be made here. You won’t find my family members on any rolls, and I’m not enrolled in a tribe.
And I want to make something clear. I respect that distinction. I understand that tribal membership is determined by tribes — and only by tribes. I never used my family tree to get a break or get ahead. I never used it to advance my career.
But I want to make something else clear too: My parents were real people.
Elizabeth Warren took Trump’s favorite attack line against her and turned it into a strength
Trump’s Pochantas attack gave Warren the opening to talk about her own family and upbringing. Warren was also able to contrast her life with that of the wealth and privilege of Donald Trump.
While Trump is the rich who was born on third base and thought that he hit a triple, Warren is the populist real deal. Elizabeth Warren is like the vast majority of Americans. She didn’t get to use daddy’s name and money to launch and advance her career. If Elizabeth Warren runs for president in 2020, Trump will scream his racist insult nickname toward her, because that is all that he has. When placed next to Sen. Warren, Trump’s fake populism will be exposed.
Warren’s speech laid the groundwork for a 2020 run, and she is the matchup that Trump definitely should not want to see.
Jason is the managing editor. He is also a White House Press Pool and a Congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.
Awards and Professional Memberships
Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association
