Donald Trump: 'Accountability coming' to President following Pocahontas slur during Native American event, says former ethics chief
A former White House ethics chief has warned Donald Trump “accountability is coming” after the US President used a racial slur during an event to honour Native Americans.
Norm Eisen, who served as Barack Obama’s Special Counsel for Ethics and Government Reform, shared a video of the moment Mr Trump branded Democratic Senator Elizabeth Warren “Pocahontas”.
Taking to Twitter, Mr Eisen said: “The American people will not tolerate a President that insults those who risked their lives for all of us, nor a political party that enables it.
“We are better than that. Accountability is coming faster than Trump thinks. What a swine!
“There is something particularly repulsive about doing it in the Oval [Office] before aged war heroes who have done nothing to offend.”
Mr Eisen, who is now chair of watchdog Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, added the President risked seeing a “tsunami-like wave” towards Democrats in the 2018 midterm elections over the “cumulative effect of stuff like this”.
Mr Trump's comments were made while talking to two Navajo “code talkers” – military veterans who used their indigenous language as a code to pass messages during the Second World War – who he said had been in America “long before any of us were here”.
“Although we have a representative in Congress who they say was here a long time ago,” he added. “They call her Pocahontas.”
Putting a hand on the shoulder of one of the two veterans, he said: “But you know what, I like you because you are special.”
Mr Trump started referring to Ms Warren as “Pocahontas” during the 2016 presidential election campaign over the Senator’s claims she has Native American heritage.
Ms Warren responded by accusing the President of racism.
“This was supposed to be an event to honour heroes, people who put it all on the line for our country,” she told MSNBC. “It is deeply unfortunate that the president of the United States can’t even make it through a ceremony honouring these heroes without throwing out a racial slur.”
Critics pointed out Mr Trump’s outburst was even more egregious as it was made in front of a portrait of Andrew Jackson, the seventh US president who forced hundreds of thousands of indigenous Americans from their land in the 1830s.
Tara Houska, a Native American activist, told The Independent Mr Trump's words were "appalling and disgusting". “Pocahontas was a real person - her name was Matoaka,” she said.
“It’s incredibly disgusting he would make a comment that reduces an entire demographic of Native American women to the name Pocahontas, in front of native men he was supposed to be honouring.”
White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee insisted Mr Trump’s comments were not racist.
“I think what most people find offensive is Senator Warren lying about her heritage to advance her career,” she added.
