--- title: Betsy DeVos Responds to Donald Trump’s 'Pocahontas' Comment description: Betsy DeVos subtly chided President Trump for calling Elizabeth Warren "Pocahontas" during a ceremony honoring Native American Code Talkers canonical: https://time.com/5042934/betsy-devos-donald-trump-warren-pocahontas/ author: Katie Reilly article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2017-11-30T16:18:30.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-08-04T08:04:08.272Z article:section: Politics og:title: Betsy DeVos on Trump’s 'Pocahontas' Comment: Everyone Should Think Before Speaking og:description: "We can all do well to reflect on the things we say before we say them" og:url: https://time.com/5042934/betsy-devos-donald-trump-warren-pocahontas/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltb8fc0b52fae26f8e/6988f324e76ad28bbc6301f4/betsy-devos-donald-trump-pocahontas.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 3000 og:image:height: 1688 og:image:alt: President Trump Hosts NCAA National Championship Teams To The White House og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Betsy DeVos on Trump’s 'Pocahontas' Comment: Everyone Should Think Before Speaking twitter:description: "We can all do well to reflect on the things we say before we say them" twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltb8fc0b52fae26f8e/6988f324e76ad28bbc6301f4/betsy-devos-donald-trump-pocahontas.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Betsy DeVos on Trump’s 'Pocahontas' Comment: Everyone Should Think Before Speaking > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: August 2026. ## TIME D.C. Brief: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition D.C. Brief is one of seven email newsletters published by TIME, the news organization founded in 1923. Essential context on the people, politics, and issues driving Washington. D.C. Brief goes beyond the Washington headlines to explain the politics, personalities and power dynamics shaping what happens next. Senior correspondent Philip Elliott brings sharp context to the issues driving the capital, connecting the decisions made in Washington to the institutions, industries and people they affect. 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It explains the politics, personalities and power dynamics behind the headlines, three times a week. #### Where can I get analysis of Washington politics by email? D.C. Brief is TIME's free Washington politics newsletter, available at time.com/newsletters. It is written by a TIME senior correspondent who covers the capital full time. #### Who writes TIME's D.C. Brief? Philip Elliott, a senior correspondent at TIME, writes D.C. Brief. #### Is D.C. Brief free? Yes. D.C. Brief is free at time.com/newsletters. ## Video: President Trump Calls Elizabeth Warren 'Pocahontas' at Event Honoring Native American Veterans [Watch (HLS stream): President Trump Calls Elizabeth Warren 'Pocahontas' at Event Honoring Native American Veterans](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/0GKfozOg.m3u8) (0:36)  _Published 2017-11-27. President Donald Trump referred to Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren as “Pocahontas” during a White House event Monday honoring Native American code talkers who served in World War II._  by [Katie Reilly](https://time.com/author/katie-reilly/)  ## Katie Reilly Nov 30, 2017 4:18 PM UTC  President Donald Trump and Education Secretary Betsy Devos pose for photographs with members of the National Collegiate Athletic Association's champion University of Virginia men's tennis team in the East Room of the White House on Nov. 17, 2017 in Washington, D.C. President Donald Trump and Education Secretary Betsy Devos pose for photographs with members of the National Collegiate Athletic Association's champion University of Virginia men's tennis team in the East Room of the White House on Nov. 17, 2017 in Washington, D.C. Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images  by [Katie Reilly](https://time.com/author/katie-reilly/)  ## Katie Reilly Nov 30, 2017 4:18 PM UTC Education Secretary Betsy DeVos subtly chided [President Trump](http://time.com/5038410/donald-trump-elizabeth-warren-pocahontas-2/) on Wednesday for calling [Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren](http://time.com/5038848/donald-trump-elizabeth-warren-response-pocahontas/) “Pocahontas” during a ceremony honoring [Native American Code Talkers](http://time.com/5038937/navajo-code-talkers-slam-trump-pocahontas-slur/) this week. “You were here long before any of us were here,” Trump told the World War II veterans on Monday, before referencing Warren, who has said she has Native American heritage. “Although we have a representative in Congress who they say was here a long time ago. They call her Pocahontas.” During a visit to a Tennessee high school on Wednesday, DeVos was asked by reporters whether Trump can be considered a good role model for children after his comment. “I think the president continues to lead in an important direction in our country,” DeVos said, [according to the _Tennessean_](http://www.tennessean.com/story/news/education/2017/11/29/betsy-devos-marks-first-visit-middle-tennessee-trip-rutherford-county-schools/901900001/). “And I think that we can all do well to reflect on the things we say before we say them.” Warren responded to Trump’s remark earlier in the week by calling it “[a disgusting low.](http://time.com/5038848/donald-trump-elizabeth-warren-response-pocahontas/)” [Family members](http://time.com/5038937/navajo-code-talkers-slam-trump-pocahontas-slur/) of the Navajo war veterans said it was “uncalled for,” and the Navajo Nation described it as an example of “cultural insensitivity.” Asked on Monday about criticism that Trump’s comment was a racial slur, White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said, “I think that’s a ridiculous response.” “I don’t think that it is, and I don’t think that was — certainly not the President’s intent,” she said. ## Transcript You're very, very special people. 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, but you know what? I like you because you are special. 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