Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren is widely considered to be among the top Democratic candidates considering a presidential run in 2020. | Zach Gibson/Getty Images congress Elizabeth Warren hits back at Trump, releases DNA test 'strongly' supporting Native American ancestry

Sen. Elizabeth Warren released the results of a DNA test on Monday that "strongly support" her claims of Native American ancestry, hitting back at President Donald Trump for mocking her and showing her seriousness about a 2020 presidential run.

The DNA test, conducted by Stanford University professor Carlos Bustamante, showed Warren’s likely Native American ancestry dates back six to 10 generations.


The release of the results were part of a rollout from Warren's campaign showcasing her heritage while offering evidence that she did not benefit professionally from it. She was hired as an educator, Warren argued, because "she was an award-winning legal scholar and professor."

The rollout, which came with a slick video showing Warren talking about her family with her older brothers, provided a glimpse into how Warren may take on Trump on the campaign trail, as she proactively tries to defuse one of his main attack lines against her.

Trump and others have suggested that Warren played up or invented her Native American ancestry for professional gain. The president has often derisively referred to Warren as “Pocahontas" and in July he stated that he would donate $1 million to Warren's charity of choice if she took a DNA test. "I will give you a million dollars to your favorite charity, paid for by Trump, if you take the test and it shows you're an Indian," Trump said at a rally in Great Falls, Montana.

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Warren's campaign on Monday tweeted: "NIWRC is a nonprofit working to protect Native women from violence. More than half of all Native women have experienced sexual violence, and the majority of violent crimes against Native Americans are perpetrated by non-Natives. Send them your $1M check, @realDonaldTrump."

Talking to reporters on the South Lawn on Monday, Trump was dismissive of Warren's release, saying "Who cares?" while denying he ever offered $1 million.

“I didn’t say that. You better read it again," Trump said.

He also said he welcomed a presidential challenge from Warren.

“I hope she's running for president because I think she would be very easy," Trump said. "I hope that she is running. I do not think she would be difficult at all. She'll destroy the country. She'll make our country into Venezuela. With that being said, I don't want to say bad things about her because I would hope that she would be one of the people that would get through the process. It's going to be a long process for the Democrats.”

Later on Monday, as he spoke with reporters while touring the damage from Hurricane Michael, Trump cast doubt on the DNA test, saying he would only pay the $1 million if he can "test her personally."

"That will not be something I enjoy doing, either," he added.

Trump also said that he does not owe Warren an apology, and that, "She owes the country an apology."

The Massachusetts senator was born and raised in Oklahoma until she went to college. The results of Warren’s DNA test show that her heritage is mostly European, but there is also an "existence of an unadmixed Native American ancestor in the individual’s pedigree, likely in the range of 6-10 generations ago."

Oklahoma's Cherokee Nation rebuked the results of Warren's DNA test in a statement Monday, arguing that the scientific assessment was “useless to determine tribal citizenship“ and “not evidence for tribal affiliation.“

“Using a DNA test to lay claim to any connection to the Cherokee Nation or any tribal nation, even vaguely, is inappropriate and wrong,“ said Cherokee Nation Secretary of State Chuck Hoskin Jr.

“It makes a mockery out of DNA tests and its legitimate uses while also dishonoring legitimate tribal governments and their citizens, whose ancestors are well documented and whose heritage is proven,“ he said. “Senator Warren is undermining tribal interests with her continued claims of tribal heritage.“

In her video, Warren said she was not enrolled in a tribe and acknowledged that “only tribes determine tribal citizenship.“

“I understand and respect that distinction,“ Warren said. “But my family history is my family history.“

Matthew Choi contributed to this report.