President Donald Trump targeted liberal Sen. Elizabeth Warren during his Tuesday night address to a joint session of Congress, mockingly referring to the Democratic leader as “Pocahontas” while discussing Ukraine policy.
The pointed exchange came as Trump criticized continued American funding for Ukraine in its war against Russia, prompting some Democratic applause for supporting the embattled nation.
“The United States has sent hundreds of billions of dollars to support Ukraine’s defense,” Trump said, drawing some unexpected claps from Democrats across the aisle.
When he saw the reaction, Trump challenged their support: “You want to keep it going for another five years?” Then, noticing Warren’s applause, he added: “Yeah, yeah, you would say… Pocahontas says yes.”
Warren seemed to lean into the moment. She continued clapping enthusiastically, even increasing her pace with a visible grin on her face despite being singled out by the president.
Trump has used the “Pocahontas” nickname for years to mock Warren over her past claims of Native American ancestry. The controversy dates back to the 1980s and 1990s when Warren lied about Native American ancestry while teaching at the University of Pennsylvania and Harvard Law Schools.
Warren went so far as to contribute a “family recipe” to the “Pow Wow Chow” cookbook.
During her 2020 presidential campaign, Warren released results of a DNA test showing she had almost no Native American ancestry — only one, approximately six to ten generations back. Trump and Republicans criticized her for citing such a distant connection, noting that the average American has more than Warren.
In the remainder of his Ukraine comments, Trump emphasized his desire to end the conflict, which he described as a “savage” war.
“2,000 people are being killed every single week. More than that,” Trump said. “They’re Russian young people. They’re Ukrainian young people. They’re not Americans, but I want it to stop.”
The president also criticized European allies for spending more on Russian fossil fuels than on aid to Ukraine.
“Europe has sadly spent more money buying Russian oil and gas than they have spent on defending Ukraine by far,” he said.
The exchange with Warren came just one day after the Trump administration paused all U.S. military aid to Ukraine following a tense Oval Office meeting last Friday where Vice President JD Vance sharply criticized Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky for what he described as a lack of gratitude for American assistance.
Trump also said he had “received strong signals” from Russia that they are “ready for peace,” suggesting an opening for negotiations to end the conflict.
The “Pocahontas” comment was the most direct personal attack in Trump’s 80-minute address, which covered a wide range of domestic and foreign policy issues in what effectively served as a State of the Union address for his second term.
Warren, who sits on the Senate Armed Services Committee, has consistently supported robust military aid to Ukraine since Russia’s 2022 invasion.
LMAO. TRUMP IS HILARIOUS.
"The U.S. has sent hundreds of billions of dollars to support Ukraine's defense… *Democrats clap* … You want to keep it going another 5 years? Yeah, Pocahontas says yes."
Elizabeth Warren can be seen FUMING.pic.twitter.com/yRdkN0QM6t
— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) March 5, 2025