Donald Trump refers to Elizabeth Warren as 'the Indian' when responding to her tweetstorm

Reuters

Donald Trump revived an old political controversy Monday by referring to Sen. Elizabeth Warren as "the Indian."

During a press conference at the Old Post Office in Washington, DC, Trump was asked about the Democratic senator's repeated criticism of Trump's inflammatory rhetoric toward women and minorities.

He responded with a reference to years-old revelations that Warren identified herself as Native American on paperwork while studying at Harvard University.

"Who's that, the Indian? You mean the Indian?" Trump said.

Earlier on Monday, Warren slammed Trump in a series of tweets and a post on Facebook. Warren, a popular progressive figure in the Democratic Party, called the real-estate magnate a "loser" and questioned his success as a businessman:

Tweet Embed:
https://twitter.com/mims/statuses/711951221490372609
The way I see it, it’s our job to make sure @realDonaldTrump ends this campaign every bit the loser that he started it.

Tweet Embed:
https://twitter.com/mims/statuses/711950735798304768
.@RealDonaldTrump knows he’s a loser. His insecurities are on parade: petty bullying, attacks on women, cheap racism, flagrant narcissism.

Tweet Embed:
https://twitter.com/mims/statuses/711950468369539073
See how @realDonaldTrump kept his father’s empire afloat using strategic corporate bankruptcies to skip out on debt.

Trump attempted to blunt Warren's criticisms by mocking the Native American flap, which was first raised during Warren's 2012 Massachusetts Senate bid against then-Republican incumbent Sen. Scott Brown.

During an interview with New York Times columnist Maureen Dowd last week, Trump asserted the former Harvard student and professor was only admitted because she identified as Native American on application forms.

"I think it’s wonderful because the Indians can now partake in the future of the country. She’s got about as much Indian blood as I have. Her whole life was based on a fraud. She got into Harvard and all that because she said she was a minority," Trump said.

In her 2014 book, "A Fighting Chance," Warren said she was "hurt" and "angry" about attacks on her heritage, saying she had been told she was Native American by her parents and never questioned the claims.

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