“Fauxcahontas” Elizabeth Warren

Elizabeth Warren at a town hall meeting in Roxbury, Massachusetts in regard to her choice of doing the DNA test.

Joseph Prezioso

Elizabeth Warren at a town hall meeting in Roxbury, Massachusetts in regard to her choice of doing the DNA test.

Kathleen Toblesky, Photojournalist

“Pocahontas is not happy, she’s not happy. She’s the worst. You know, Pocahontas — I’m doing such a disservice to Pocahontas,” stated President Trump on Twitter back in 2016, “it’s so unfair to Pocahontas — but this Elizabeth Warren, I call her ‘goofy,’ Elizabeth Warren, she’s one of the worst senators in the entire United States Senate.”

 

It’s no secret that Trump and Senator Elizabeth Warren have been at odds with each other for quite a while. The nickname “Pocahontas” was given to her back in 2016 in response to her self-proclaimed Native American heritage, specifically Cherokee and Delaware Indian, according to The Washington Post. Trump, as well as other Republicans, were not a fan of her claims. Not only were they suspicious of their validity, but they also believed it to be using it for political gain, both of which she has denied.

 

Flash forward two years, and Warren’s claims get the chance to be proven correct.

 

In return for a DNA test to prove her claims of having Native American heritage, Trump had promised a donation of $1 million to a charity of her choice. Of course, she accepted his offer and took the test, according to the New York Post, claiming to do so in order to restore trust in the American government.

 

The test was led by Carlos Bustamante, a well-regarded Stanford University geneticist, according to the Independent.

 

On October 15, 2018, the test results finally came back, revealing some shocking results. They did, in fact, show evidence of Native American ancestry; however, they also show that her blood only has a small percentage coming from them, perhaps to be six to ten generations prior. At best, she is merely 1/32, though some estimated show just 1/512 or even 1/1024, according to the Boston Globe, which would make her somewhere between 1.56-0.1% Native American.

 

After seeing the results, Trump posted his response on Twitter: “Pocahontas (the bad version), sometimes referred to as Elizabeth Warren, is getting slammed. She took a bogus DNA test and it showed that she may be 1/1024, far less than the average American. Now Cherokee Nation denies her, ‘DNA test is useless.’ Even they don’t want her. Phony!”

 

As Trump says, the Cherokee Nation was none too happy about her claiming to be one of them, only to have that claim proven incorrect.

 

“It makes a mockery out of DNA tests and its legitimate uses while also dishonoring legitimate tribal governments and their citizens, whose ancestors are well documented and whose heritage is proven,” Cherokee Nation Secretary of State Chuck Hoskin Jr. said on the Cherokee office, website. “Senator Warren is undermining tribal interests with her continued claims of tribal heritage.”

 

Unfortunately, because of the minuscule amount of Native American in Warren’s blood, Trump has refused to give Warren the $1 million for a charity, even claiming that he never said he would. Despite the small percentage, many believe he should still follow up on his promise and make the donation.