Mike Huckabee took whataboutism to new lows as he deflected from Donald Trump’s racist “Pocahontas” attack on Sen. Elizabeth Warren and tried to make it about Disney and Democrats.
In case you missed it, Trump was in the middle of honoring Navajo code talkers yesterday when he deviated from his prepared remarks:
“You’re very, very special people. 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. They call her Pocahontas. But you know what. I like you. Because you are special, “ Mr. Trump said.
The remark was offensive beyond the use of the “Pocahontas” term. Navajo Nation President Russell Begaye explained on CNN (via Politico):
“This was a day to honor them, and to insert something like that — the word ‘Pocahontas’ as a jab to a senator — you know, that belongs on the campaign trail,” Begaye said. “That doesn’t belong in the room when our war heroes are being honored.”
Furthermore, as Politico also noted, Trump made his remarks while standing before a portrait of Andrew Jackson, nicknamed “Indian Killer” by the Cherokee.
But the offensive context and setting were ignored by Fox & Friends cohost Ainsley Earhardt during a segment with Mike Huckabee. You may recall Earhardt recently claimed “I want to be a journalist, I want to ask tough questions,” she said, not look like she's "in the tank" for Trump.
But she quacked a lot like someone in the tank as she whitewashed the event and teed up a softball for Huckabee, father of White House spokesperson Sarah Huckabee Sanders, to "defend" Trump by attacking the left.
EARHARDT: The president … was introducing three Navajo veterans, they were the code talkers in World War II and saying they were very special people, we couldn’t have gotten the job done without them and giving them awards. And just honoring them. In the middle of that, he went off of his script and he started talking about Elizabeth Warren, referring to her as “Pocahontas.”
So the left has said that it was insensitive, it was racist and your daughter, who is spokesperson at the White House, she had to answer a lot of questions on this.
A clip of Sanders’ press briefing was played. It included Sanders “defending” Trump by suggesting that Warren was the real offender for having claimed (without verification) Cherokee heritage.
Huckabee doubled down on the whataboutism:
HUCKABEE: Look, I think it’s absurd that the press are trying to hammer the Trump administration, and specifically the president, on his use of the term “Pocahontas.” One of the people asking that question is employed by ABC, which owns Disney, or maybe Disney owns ABC. They’ve made a billion dollars off the Pocahontas franchise. Let me ask you something: Is that racist? Have they made money off racism? Because if so, then they need to apologize, and they need to discontinue all of their merchandise and all their movies regarding Pocahontas. The bigger question, though—and I think Sarah alluded to this—Elizabeth Warren lied about her ancestry in order to advance her career. That is what ought to be outrageous to people. And why isn’t the left upset about cultural appropriation? I mean, that’s something we hear about all the time. You cannot culturally appropriate something. Well, that’s what she’s done. So I’m just waiting for a little consistency from the left. That would be kind of nice to see.
Meanwhile, Warren is fundraising off Trump’s attack.
Watch the deflection below, from the November 28, 2017 Fox & Friends, via Media Matters.
