Appearing on NBC’s Megyn Kelly Today Friday morning, correspondent Stephanie Gosk ran to the defense of Massachusetts Democratic Senator and possible 2020 presidential candidate Elizabeth Warren, chastising President Trump for once again mocking the liberal lawmaker for lying about having Native American heritage.
During a political rally Wednesday night, Trump used his favorite nickname for Warren to challenge her to take a DNA test: “She’s based her life on being a minority, Pocahontas....Let’s say I’m debating Pocahontas, right? I promise you I’ll do this. I will take – you know those little kits they sell on television for $2, ‘Learn your heritage!’”
Anchor Megyn Kelly noted: “The president unleashing one of his favorite attacks yesterday evening on Massachusetts Democrat Elizabeth Warren, over her claims of having Native American ancestry, claims which are dubious at best.” After the clip of the president, she added: “And may I just say, he calls her Pocahontas, which is – he’s been criticized for doing, but Elizabeth Warren’s claims of being a Native American are very, very suspect.”
Moments later, Gosk jumped in to excuse Warren’s dishonesty and slam the president:
Okay, but Megyn, here’s the other dubious claim, that the only reason Elizabeth Warren is where she is, is because she’s a minority. I mean, give me a break....That’s not why she’s where is. She is a smart, accomplished senator. She’s also no shrinking violet. There’s no way Elizabeth Warren is crying herself to sleep over these comments from President Trump. She’s tough as nails.
Of course, Warren is not actually a minority, that's the whole point. Kelly explained to viewers:
When she [Warren] was asked about this specifically during her Senate run, her explanation was, “Well, my mawmaw and my pawpaw,” that’s what she said, “My mawmaw and my pawpaw,” meaning grandparents, “always had very high cheek bones. And that’s what I was told, that I had high cheek bones.”
Sensing some displeasure from her in-studio audience over her criticism of Warren, Kelly proclaimed: “I’m sorry, but this happened. You may like Elizabeth Warren, but this is why he’s mocking her.”
Gosk instead wanted to focus on Native Americans offended by Trump using the name “Pocahontas” to mock Warren: “If they are upset by our president invoking a piece of their heritage in the way that he’s invoking it, shouldn’t we listen to them? Shouldn’t we care enough to listen why they’re upset?”
Kelly countered: “Are they upset about that? Are they upset that Elizabeth Warren appears to be faking the fact she has Native American blood?” Gosk replied: “They very well may be, I don’t know the answer to that.”
Kelly and Gosk then got into a heated exchange over the issue:
KELLY: I just think if you’re going to claim minority status, given how protected that class is in the United States, that it better be legit. It better be legit.
GOSK: But how well is that class doing? What did she get by checking that box? Who checks that box –
KELLY: Harvard was touting her as a minority professor.
GOSK: But who gets success in this country by claiming – all the Native Americans who are so successful in this country.
KELLY: Are you kidding me, Stephanie? So many people get a greater advantage, in terms of getting into schools or getting promoted within a school if they’re a professor of minority descent.
GOSK: How many Native Americans are running corporations in this country? How many Native Americans have risen to the highest heights?
KELLY: Are you telling me in the academic setting at Harvard it wouldn’t have been helpful for her to be a minority?
GOSK: I’m talking about senators and people that are in power in this country.
KELLY: That’s what she is.
GOSK: Elizabeth Warren is not in power because she checked a box that says she’s Native American.
KELLY: You’re telling me it didn’t help her at Harvard, that’s where she was claiming it. She was at Harvard.
The degree to which members of the liberal media like Gosk are willing to explain away controversies swirling around Democrats is truly remarkable.
Here is a transcript of the July 6 exchange:
9:01 AM ET
MEGYN KELLY: The president unleashing one of his favorite attacks yesterday evening on Massachusetts Democrat Elizabeth Warren, over her claims of having Native American ancestry, claims which are dubious at best. Last night he was at it again and also went on to mock the #MeToo movement. Take a listen.
DONALD TRUMP: She’s based her life on being a minority, Pocahontas. They always want me to apologize for saying it. To the fake Pocahontas I won’t apologize. Let’s say I’m debating Pocahontas, right? I promise you I’ll do this. I will take – you know those little kits they sell on television for $2, “Learn your heritage!” We will take that little kit and say – but we have to do it gently because we’re in the #MeToo generation, so we have to be very gentle. And we will very gently take that kit, and we will slowly toss it, hoping it doesn’t hit her and injure her arm, even though it only probably weighs two ounces.
KELLY: So that’s the President of the United States. And may I just say, he calls her Pocahontas, which is – he’s been criticized for doing, but Elizabeth Warren’s claims of being a Native American are very, very suspect. There was like somebody in her ancient history who may have been one 32nd Cherokee. And even that has never been proven, it’s just a claim that no one has ever substantiated. And the reason this became a controversy is because when she was running for the U.S. Senate it emerged that she had been calling herself a minority and saying she was a Native American while at Harvard, and possibly before. And they were touting her as a minority professor.
STEPHANIE GOSK: Okay, but Megyn, here’s the other dubious claim, that the only reason Elizabeth Warren is where she is, is because she’s a minority. I mean, give me a break, the woman has –
KELLY: Well, no one said that.
GOSK: He just did. He did. He said the only reason she’s gotten to where she is, is because she claimed that she’s a minority. That’s not why she’s where is. She is a smart, accomplished senator. She’s also no shrinking violet. There’s no way Elizabeth Warren is crying herself to sleep over these comments from President Trump. She’s tough as nails.
KELLY: But many purport to be outraged by them. They don’t like him using that term to refer to her as Pocahontas and –
GOSK: Well, that’s a different topic.
(...)
KELLY: When she was asked about this specifically during her Senate run, her explanation was, “Well, my mawmaw and my pawpaw,” that’s what she said, “My mawmaw and my pawpaw,” meaning grandparents, “always had very high cheek bones. And that’s what I was told, that I had high cheek bones.” I’m sorry, but this happened. You may like Elizabeth Warren, but this is why he’s mocking her.
(...)
GOSK: But let’s talk about the people that are offended. Let’s talk about this population in our country that lives in some of the poorest places in this country with high unemployment, high substance abuse problems, and it is a legacy we own in this country. If they are upset by our president invoking a piece of their heritage in the way that he’s invoking it, shouldn’t we listen to them? Shouldn’t we care enough to listen why they’re upset?
KELLY: Are they upset about that? Are they upset that Elizabeth Warren appears to be faking the fact she has Native American blood?
GOSK: They very well may be, I don’t know the answer to that.
(...)
KELLY: I just think if you’re going to claim minority status, given how protected that class is in the United States, that it better be legit. It better be legit.
GOSK: But how well is that class doing? What did she get by checking that box? Who checks that box –
KELLY: Harvard was touting her as a minority professor.
GOSK: But who gets success in this country by claiming – all the Native Americans who are so successful in this country.
KELLY: Are you kidding me, Stephanie? So many people get a greater advantage, in terms of getting into schools or getting promoted within a school if they’re a professor of minority descent.
GOSK: How many Native Americans are running corporations in this country? How many Native Americans have risen to the highest heights?
KELLY: Are you telling me in the academic setting at Harvard it wouldn’t have been helpful for her to be a minority?
GOSK: I’m talking about senators and people that are in power in this country.
KELLY: That’s what she is.
GOSK: Elizabeth Warren is not in power because she checked a box that says she’s Native American.
KELLY: You’re telling me it didn’t help her at Harvard, that’s where she was claiming it. She was at Harvard.
(...)
9:07 AM
GOSK: I don’t know the truth of her heritage. And if that is actually the case, if she actually is lying about it for her own benefit, then absolutely that’s wrong. But my larger point is the people that are offended by the way he is presenting it, and by presenting it using the word “Pocahontas,” that people take issue with.
KELLY: He doesn’t have to go for that word.
GOSK: And I think we ought to listen to that.
KELLY: I think his point is, if he just didn’t – if he didn’t have that moniker we wouldn’t be talking about it. That’s how he calls attention to it.
(...)
KELLY: It’s because she ran for public office. Nobody would have bothered her if she hadn’t run. And then it came out that she was claiming it. I mean, that’s an issue, I’m sorry. Same way [Democratic Connecticut Senator Richard] Blumenthal claimed that he had served in Vietnam, and that became an issue. If you’ve lied in your history –
(...)
