Donald Trump refers to Elizabeth Warren as 'the Indian' when responding to her tweetstorm
(Reuters)
Donald Trump.
Donald Trump revived an old political controversy on Monday by referring to Sen. Elizabeth Warren as "the Indian."
During a press conference at the Old Post Office in Washington, DC, Trump was asked about the Democratic senator's repeated criticism of Trump's inflammatory rhetoric toward women and minorities.
He responded with a reference to years-old revelations that Warren identified herself as Native American on paperwork while teaching at Harvard University.
"Who's that, the Indian? You mean the Indian?" Trump said.
Earlier on Monday, Warren slammed Trump in a series of tweets and a post on Facebook. Warren, a popular progressive figure in the Democratic Party, called the real-estate magnate a "loser" and questioned his success as a businessman:
The way I see it, it’s our job to make sure @realDonaldTrump ends this campaign every bit the loser that he started it.
— Elizabeth Warren (@elizabethforma) March 21, 2016
.@RealDonaldTrump knows he’s a loser. His insecurities are on parade: petty bullying, attacks on women, cheap racism, flagrant narcissism.
— Elizabeth Warren (@elizabethforma) March 21, 2016
See how @realDonaldTrump kept his father’s empire afloat using strategic corporate bankruptcies to skip out on debt.
— Elizabeth Warren (@elizabethforma) March 21, 2016
Shortly after Trump's comments on Monday, Warren resumed her attacks on the Republican frontrunner, calling him a "wannabe tyrant."
.@RealDonaldTrump is “cool with being called an authoritarian,” isn't upset at Hitler comparisons & thinks we won’t fight back? WRONG!
— Elizabeth Warren (@elizabethforma) March 21, 2016
We cannot elect wannabe tyrants to the White House. Not now, not ever. It’s up to all of us us to stop @realDonaldTrump .
— Elizabeth Warren (@elizabethforma) March 21, 2016
Trump attempted to blunt Warren's criticisms by mocking the Native American flap, which was first raised during Warren's 2012 Massachusetts Senate bid against then Republican incumbent Sen. Scott Brown.
During an interview with New York Times columnist Maureen Dowd last week, Trump asserted that the former Harvard professor was only admitted to college because she identified as Native American on application forms.
"I think it's wonderful because the Indians can now partake in the future of the country. She's got about as much Indian blood as I have. Her whole life was based on a fraud. She got into Harvard and all that because she said she was a minority," Trump said, though Warren never attended Harvard as a student.
In her 2014 book, "A Fighting Chance," Warren said that she was "hurt" and "angry" about attacks on her heritage, saying she had been told she was Native American by her parents and never questioned the claims.
An earlier version of this post stated that Warren was a student at Harvard. She taught at Harvard Law School, but never attended as a student.
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