Eric Trump attempted to defend his father on Twitter for calling a fellow politician ‘Pocahontas’ during an event honoring Navajo war veterans and the Internet eviscerated his apparent struggles with ‘context.’
The president’s jibe at Senator Elizabeth Warren- calling her Pocahontas- was made during a ceremony honoring the Native American’s who helped America win World War II.
Eric tweeted: ‘The irony of an ABC reporter (whose parent company Disney has profited nearly half a billion dollars on the movie ‘Pocahontas’) inferring that the name is ‘offensive’ is truly staggering to me.’
However the Internet quickly piled on with their perceived issues with his argument.
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Families of the Navajo war veterans called the nickname ‘offensive,’ Eric argued otherwise in an attempt to defend his father
Eric Trump valiantly tried to deflect a precieved attack on his father from a reporter at ABC, but many felt this attempt was a miss for Eric
Simply stated. The difference between calling someone Pocahontas and a movie about the historical figure is, well, different
This Twitter user believes Eric missed the point in his attempt to defend his dad, including how she says he doesn’t understand ‘The movie Pocahontas’
One Twitter user simply explained the difference between the movie and calling the senator the same moniker was different because ‘bruh that movie was about pocahontas,’ Twitter user Pat Dennis wrote.
‘That’s not irony. It’s a non-sequitor. The movie was a dramatization about an actual historical figure. Your bigoted father uses the term as a racist slur against a sitting Senator whenever he thinks about or talks to Native Americans,’ another user explained to the President’s son.
Another, Kristy Puchko, hit quite a few of the issues with Eric’s defense of his poppa, tweeting ‘Thing’s Eric Trump doesn’t understand: Irony, journalism, racism, the movie Pocahontas.’
Whose to say? Some seemed to legitimately question Eric’s grasp of the historical figure being a ‘real person’
The movie was a dramatization about a historical figure, whereas the president ‘uses the term as a racist slur against a sitting Senator’
This Twitter user reasoned with Eric explaining that his father is clearly using ‘Pocahontas’ as a way to be mean to someone that would also be offensive to those he was honoring that day
The concept of context: It appeared many who took issue with Eric’s tweet found that Eric really missed the point
‘Look we a we all know he was trying to be mean. He used it in a mean way in front of a group of people who were most likely hurt by it. You can reach for context as much as you want but if it’s not a mean thing to say why does call her that?’ Twitter user Leslie Anderson tried reasoning with Eric.
Some questioned the Georgetown graduate’s intellect. One twitter user wondered if he knew Pocahontas was an actual person.
It wasn’t just Twitter users who were upset by the president’s comments. Families of Navajo war veterans also decried slight, calling the usage of the historical figures name ‘offensive.’
Context, again: This user called Eric an ‘idiot’ which isn’t nice but his attempt to defend his father was off base
This user: The reporter’s affiliation to a parent company, which made a movie, and their ability to report on the president’s comments
The tribute to aging vets, called ‘code talkers,’ who helped keep allied operations secret during World War II, was marred by Trump who used the press time Monday to slam his rival- Senator Warren- calling her Pocahontas.
‘It was uncalled for,’ said Marty Thompson, whose great uncle was a Navajo code talker.
‘He can say what he wants when he’s out doing his presidential business among his people, but when it comes to honoring veterans or any kind of people, he needs to grow up and quit saying things like that,’ Thompson added to CBS News.
At an event honoring the aged veterans (pictured) the president used the platform to take a jab at Senator Warren calling her ‘Pocahontas’
Senator Elizabeth Warren (pictured) has previously claimed to be of Native American decent
Trump has repeatedly used the sobriquet ‘Pocahontas’ to deride Warren, who asserts that her mother’s ancestors were members of the Cherokee and Delaware tribes, based on ‘family lore.’
During the event in the Oval Office Monday, speaking to the veterans, Trump said ‘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,’ he continued, resurrecting his favored nickname for the outspoken senator whose Native American ancestry has been called into question by US conservatives.
Sarah Sanders attempted to change the narrative by saying what was actually offensive was Warren claiming to be Native American
‘It was uncalled for,’ said Marty Thompson, whose great uncle was a Navajo Code Talker. ‘He can say what he wants when he’s out doing his presidential business among his people, but when it comes to honoring veterans or any kind of people, he needs to grow up and quit saying things like that.’
‘Maybe he doesn’t know we’re different tribes and he might have been here a long time ago but I don’t know,’ said Lupita Holiday, daughter of a code talker from St. George, told CBS News.
She added, saying the Pocahontas jibe ‘a little offensive’ to her. ‘Look at the history of Pocahontas and maybe find out what she did and then find out what the code talkers did. It’s two different things. Two different tribes.’
The overall optics within the Oval Office were also troubling as the comments came in front of a portrait of President Andrew Jackson.
Jackson’s policies led to the forced removal of American Indians out of their ancestral land, causing thousands to die.
‘So, why did they go? Why were they there? He’s putting them in the Oval Office to say ‘You did a good job, and say hi to Pocahontas?’ said Michael Smith, a Marine, whose father was a Code Talker to CBS News.
‘They should be taken care of as heroes, not as pawns,’ Smith added.
The White House has denied that President Donald Trump’s attack on Elizabeth Warren constituted a racial slur — instead accusing the senator of ‘lying’ about her heritage
Michael Nez, whose father helped develop the code based on the Navajo language, said his father would have been upset to hear Mr. Trump’s Pocahontas comment.
‘It’s too bad he does put his foot in his mouth,’ Nez said. ‘Why he does it? I don’t know.’
Helena Begaii said her 94-year-old Navajo code talker father, Samuel T. Holiday, said he declined the invitation to the White House on Monday.
‘I feel really sad that they didn’t get treated with respect,’ she said.
The White House denied after the meeting that Trump’s comment constituted what many have considered a racial slur — instead accusing Warren of ‘lying’ about her heritage, and describing that as ‘very offensive.’