Ah, Twitter, that ubiquitous medium of polite and thoughtful political discourse.
On Saturday, Donald Trump took time away from awkwardly forehead-kissing Mike Pence to direct some racist vitriol toward his sworn nemesis, Massachusetts senator and all-around political clapback queen Elizabeth Warren, with whom Trump has famously engaged in a months-long virtual tête-à-tête.
Following an ongoing feud with Trump on Twitter in which Warren called him "small," "insecure," "weak," "embarrassing," "reckless," and an "insult-belcher," the businessman published a tweet Saturday morning in which he claims Democratic rival Hillary Clinton chose Virginia Sen. Tim Kaine as her running mate instead of Warren because "she has done nothing in the Senate."
"Pocahontas" is a reference to Warren's Native American heritage. But the senator, who has seldom shied away from engaging with Trump on social media, clapped back with this tweet:
While it's true that Warren and Clinton have a long and complicated political relationship that dates as far back as Bill Clinton's administration, it's far more likely that Clinton's choice for vice-president has to do with electability—Kaine hails from a swing state, speaks fluent Spanish, and has enough of a conservative record to attract more moderate voters—than it does their personal relationship.
This is not the first time Trump has called Warren "Pocahontas" or purported that she lacks leadership. As we've previously reported, Trump has criticized Warren for being unable to prove she is Native American, saying, “She made up her heritage, which I think is racist."
Trump's campaign provided the following statement to Complex on Sunday: "Donald Trump has a lifetime record of inclusion and has publicly rebuked groups who seek to discriminate against others on numerous occasions. To suggest otherwise is a complete fabrication of the truth."
