I watched as much of the Donald Trump inauguration coverage as I could bear. The dearth of diversity on the dais was marked. As the new administration settles into their new jobs and offices in Washington D.C., Indian country has some well-founded apprehensions. We’ve been Trumped.
We have all heard the revised version of Trump’s oft-quoted slogan, “Make America White Again.” This is more than an amusing turn of phrase as we can see by the paucity of inclusion in the development of the new government order. The pale complexion of the XY-chromosome-dominated nominations to the cabinet and political appointee positions has many wary of what the future has in store.
What this means for tribes is yet to be seen. Trump’s previous interactions with Natives gives one pause to ponder the possibilities. Among his earliest public stances on American Indians was through his opposition to tribal gaming operations as they cut into the potential profits of his own casino empire. In 1988, he filed a federal law suit in which he declared the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act “unconstitutional and discriminatory.” So much for his understanding of tribal sovereignty. Thankfully, in this case, he was the one who was Trumped by a proper interpretation of the law.
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In his 1993 testimony in front of the U.S. House Committee on Native American Affairs Trump declared that Native leaders did not look like Indians to him. While this litmus test is beyond ridiculous, Trump went on to assert even more absurdly that it was unfair that “Indians don’t pay tax, but I do.” Trump has since disavowed the notion that he needs to pay taxes as by dodging them he is merely showing his business acumen.
According to The Washington Post, “Donald Trump claimed that Indian reservations had fallen under mob control. He secretly paid for more than $1 million in ads that portrayed members of a tribe in Upstate New York as cocaine traffickers and career criminals.” He went on to posit a radio interview in 1993 that he “might have more Indian blood than a lot of the so-called Indians that are trying to open up the reservations.” This is truly foreboding when considering how a Trump administration will impact federal U.S. relations with sovereign tribes over his term in office.
Regardless of his supposed perspicacity, he poses a potential threat to tribal self-determination. In a December 2016 Reuters article found in Fortune magazine, his advisors on Native issues proposed privatization of reservation land so the U.S. can gain access to gas and oil reserves that are currently controlled by tribes. What is of further concern is that this stance is being supported by the chair of Trump’s Native American Coalition, Cherokee tribal member and U.S. Representative Markwayne Mullin. He has publically stated, “We should take tribal land away from public treatment.” Talk about the apple not falling far from the Republican tree.
The nominee for Secretary of the Department of Interior, which oversees the Bureau of Indian Affairs, is former Navy Seal Ryan Zinke. Those are some seaworthy credentials indeed. The Honorable U.S. Representative is a Republican from the State of Montana, which has a significant Native population. According to Democratic constituents of Montana, Zinke “has chosen to belittle Native Americans with insensitive and out-of-touch comments regarding Indian country.” Apparently he feels that Reservations are the preeminent bastions of governmental dependence. Zinke is also on record as wanting to repeal the Indian Health Care Act. He has also actively opposed funding that was earmarked for programs found in the Violence Against Woman Act which is intended to reduce the victimization of Native women. In the interests of full disclosure, he also sponsored a bill to confer federal recognition on the Little Shell Band of Chippewa who have been seeking this designation for the past 100 years.
The primacy of Native vigilance must remain at the forefront of the agenda of Indian country. Efforts to undermine sovereignty must be anticipated in advance, and strategies developed to confront being Trumped. Put your Congressional Representative and U.S. Senators office numbers on speed dial and have their addresses in your contacts. It’s gonna be a long four years.
Just my two dentalias worth.