Trump is back to his 2016 campaign trail antics of mocking Sen. Elizabeth Warren. Let the 2020 presidential games begin.
He took it upon himself at a rally last week in Montana to call Sen. Warren his usual nickname, “Pocahontas,” and insinuate she should get a DNA test to prove her ancestry.
Here’s what he said at the rally.
“I shouldn’t tell you ’cause I like not to give away secrets… Let’s say I’m debating Pocahontas. You know those little kits they sell on television for $2…I’m gonna get one of those little kits and in the middle of the debate, when she proclaims that she’s of Indian heritage, because her mother says she has high cheekbones…we will take that little kit…but we have to do it gently, because we are in the Me Too generation… I will give you $1 million to your favorite charity, paid for by Trump, if you take the test and it shows you’re an Indian…I have a feeling she will say no.”
But should she even be expected to answer in the first place?
Asking a 2020 election challenger to submit their DNA for testing is abhorrent, to put it mildly. Where have we seen this before? Oh, right. It reeks of Trump’s “birther” propaganda. President Barack Obama was repeatedly prodded to submit his birth certificate for examination to ensure he wasn’t born in Kenya.
Trump stated on March 30, 2011 on The Laura Ingraham Show:
Trump’s transparent attack on American values is unprecedented, but then again, so is his entire presidency.
The New England Journal of Medicine is even referring to Trump’s latest attack on Sen. Warren as “genetic McCarthyism,” saying: “Using genetic information to disparage opponents has no place in presidential campaigns. Nonetheless, the threat of genetic McCarthyism provides us with an opportunity to engage in a public dialogue about the limitations and complexities of using genomic information for decisions about life and health – including voting for our president.”
Genetic material is often misinterpreted and misrepresented, the Journal adds. “Therefore, we think future presidential candidates should resist calls to disclose their own genetic information. We recommend that they also pledge that their campaigns will not attempt to obtain or release genomic information about their opponents.”
Obtaining DNA isn’t rocket science for anyone truly interested in doing so – and we wouldn’t put anything past this president. A coffee cup, a handshake – a loose hair…any of these means could result in the opportunity to collect DNA on a presidential opponent.
For her part, Sen. Warren has repeatedly stated, “I know who I am,” and has no plans to submit to DNA testing. And why should she?