At an event Monday at the White House paying tribute to Native American veterans who served as Navajo code talkers in the military, President Donald Trump again invoked the label "Pocahontas," which he has used as a nickname for Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.).

"You were here long before any of us were here," Trump said to the vets present. "Although we have a representative in Congress who they say was here a long time ago. They call her Pocahontas."

As Toronto Star reporter Daniel Dale pointed out on Twitter, Trump delivered this comment while standing in front of a portrait of President Andrew Jackson, who signed the Indian Removal Act in 1830.

Senator Warren has maintained that she is of Native American heritage, and some critics have said the claim was used to advance her career. In any case, Warren has stated that she believes the term is a "slur."

When asked to justify the "offensive" statement at the press conference that followed the event on Monday, Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders redirected, stating, "I think what people find offensive is Senator Warren lying about her heritage to further her career."

"The President certainly (has) an extreme amount of value and respect for these individuals, which is why he spent time ... honoring them today," she continued. "He's constantly finding ways to honor these individuals."

Huckabee Sanders was further pressed on the issue, and was asked if she believes the president using a racial slur is appropriate in any context.

"I don't believe it is appropriate to use a racial slur in any context ... I don't think that (this) is (a slur)," she responded. "I think that Senator Warren was very offensive when she lied about something to advance her career."

Senator Warren has not yet responded to the comment.

Alyssa Pereira is an SFGATE staff writer. Email her at apereira@sfchronicle.com or find her on Twitter at @alyspereira.

