Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent took a sharp jab at Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., in a Saturday letter first obtained by Fox Business, wishing the Massachusetts Democrat a “Happy Indigenous Peoples’ Day in advance to you and your family.”
The letter, which was described as “snarky at times,” saved the dig for the very end.
The remark was a clear nod to Warren’s claim that she is Native American, a claim President Donald Trump has mocked for years by sarcastically calling her “Pocahontas.”
Warren tried to put the issue to rest back in 2018 by taking a DNA test. According to the Associated Press, the analysis showed she had a “pure Native American ancestor who probably lived six to 10 generations ago.”
That would make Warren roughly 1/64th Native American on the high end, or about 1.56%. On the low end, it would put her at 1/1,024th, or about 0.098%.
The AP also reported that it was “impossible to determine” which tribe Warren’s ancestor belonged to.
Bessent’s message arrived two days before Columbus Day, a holiday that critics of the explorer prefer to observe as Indigenous Peoples’ Day.
The timing followed a high-profile move by the president. On Friday, Trump unveiled a 13-foot marble statue of Christopher Columbus at the White House. The statue is a replica of one that was torn down by protesters in 2020.
“I resurrected Christopher Columbus,” Trump said.
The president described placing the statue “right in front of the main office building, the Eisenhower Building, right across the street.” He noted that building is essentially the office building for the White House and other very important agencies.
“He’s back to where he should be,” Trump added.
Bessent’s letter was a response to one Warren had sent a few days earlier. In it, the senator raised questions about the 10-year Treasury yield and what the Trump administration was doing to bring down costs for Americans.
The Treasury secretary was not impressed.
“It is difficult to treat your concern as sincere,” Bessent wrote.
He then pointed to Warren’s record during the previous administration.
“As the federal funds rate climbed from near zero to its highest level in 22 years, with inflation hitting a 40-year high, you were a cheerleader for the Biden Administration’s reckless spending,” Bessent wrote.
Bessent also contrasted Warren’s votes with the administration’s tax agenda.
“While you voted for a $5 trillion tax hike on every day Americans, the Working Families Tax Cuts continue to deliver for families and workers across the country,” he wrote.
The exchange marks the latest clash between the Trump administration and the Massachusetts senator, with Bessent dismissing Warren’s concerns over costs and borrowing while taking aim at her support for the Biden administration’s spending.
And with Columbus Day just around the corner, the Treasury secretary made sure to close his letter with a holiday greeting the senator is not likely to forget.
