Betsy DeVos on Trump’s ‘Pocahontas’ Comment: Everyone Should Think Before Speaking

Education Secretary Betsy DeVos subtly chided President Trump on Wednesday for calling Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren “Pocahontas” during a ceremony honoring Native American Code Talkers 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. “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.” Family members 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.