DeVos on Trump ‘Pocahontas’ comment: We should ‘reflect on the things we say before we say them’

Education Secretary Betsy DeVos on Wednesday said people would do well to think before they speak when she was asked a question regarding President Trump’s comments calling Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) “Pocahontas.”

During a visit to Tennessee, DeVos was asked whether she thinks Trump can be a positive role model for children following his “Pocahontas” comment.

“I think the president continues to lead in an important direction in our country,” DeVos said, according to the Tennessean.

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“And I think that we can all do well to reflect on the things we say before we say them.”

Trump on Monday called Warren “Pocahontas” during an event honoring Navajo Code Talkers.

During the event honoring three Navajos who helped the U.S. Marine Corps develop a secret code during WWII, Trump said: “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,” Trump said. “They call her ‘Pocahontas,’ but you know what, I like you because you are special.”

Trump has repeatedly used the derisive nickname when talking about Warren, a reference to her claim of Native American heritage.

Trump faced widespread backlash for the comment.

The White House defended Trump’s comments earlier this week, saying the term is not a racial slur.

“I think what most people find offensive is Sen. Warren lying about her heritage to advance her career,” White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders told reporters. 

Warren responded to the comment earlier this week, saying it was “deeply unfortunate” that Trump couldn’t make it through “a ceremony honoring these heroes without having to throw out a racial slur.”