Elizabeth Warren & Donald Trump: 5 Fast Facts You Need To Know

Elizabeth Warren, Donald Trump

Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren has become one of the most outspoken critics of Donald Trump. (Getty Images)

Though you’d be hard pressed to find a Democrat who hasn’t criticized or questioned presumptive Republican nominee Donald Trump, some have gone after him harder than others. As Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton focus more on each other, people from politicians to authors have gone out of their way to speak out against Trump.

It’s possible, though, that no one has come at Trump harder than Elizabeth Warren, a Massachusetts senator that has attacked Trump on various social media platforms and in various speeches. This has put Warren into the spotlight in the election, becoming both headline news and fodder for Trump’s Twitter account, as he unsurprisingly did not stay quiet when faced with criticism. The bickering between the two has yet to cease, and with two headstrong people it seems unlikely to stop anytime soon.

Here’s what you need to know:

1. Warren Called Trump a “Small, Insecure Moneygrabber” Who Wanted the 2008 Housing Crisis

Elizabeth Warren, Donald Trump

Warren said Trump couldn’t wait to take advantage of the economic crisis of the 2000s. (Getty Images)

Warren’s most recent critiques of Trump so far come from a speech she gave on Tuesday, May 24th. According to The Huffington Post, Warren began telling a story of a family that had their house foreclosed upon in the midst of 2008’s housing crisis. This story was used as a jumping-off point to shame Trump as someone who had, in fact, wanted the economic crisis of the late 2000s to occur so that he could benefit from it.

“Donald Trump was drooling over the idea of a housing meltdown because it meant he could buy up a bunch more property on the cheap,” Warren said. “What kind of a man does that? Root for people to get thrown out on the street? Root for people to lose their jobs? Root for people to lose their pensions? Root for two little girls in Clark County, Nevada, to end up living in a van? What kind of a man does that?

Warren went on to refer to Trump as “a small, insecure money-grubber who doesn’t care who gets hurt, so long as he makes some money off it.” Other criticisms relating to finance involved Trump’s stance that he would get rid of the Dodd-Frank regulations, which was made to regulate Wall Street in the hopes of avoiding another financial crisis.

Warren’s claims that Trump was rooting for the economic crisis stem from a recently unearthed 2006 audiobook from Trump University. According to CNN, when asked a question about whether real estate markets were potentially close to crashing, he said “I sort of hope that happens because then people like me would go in and buy.” He added, “if you’re in a good cash position — which I’m in a good cash position today — then people like me would go in and buy like crazy.”

2. She Accused Trump of Wanting to Abolish the Federal Minimum Wage

Elizabeth Warren, Donald Trump

Warren put Trump on the defense about his thoughts on minimum wage. (Getty Images)

Elizabeth Warren was a Harvard law professor with a specialty in bankruptcy law. Suffice to say, economic issues are of great concern to her. Perhaps that’s why she sent out this tweet attacking Trump’s stance on minimum wage:

Trump denied her accusations, and even said he planned on increasing minimum wage. However, this comes into conflict with a number of his other statements. In a November 2015 Republican debate, for example, when Neil Cavuto asked if Trump would raise the minimum wage, he replied “I would not do it.” He also, in a 2015 interview with MSNBC, said “Having a low minimum wage is not a bad thing for this country.”

All of that said, Trump’s comments on the subject have been all over the map – in a May Meet the Press interview, Trump said “I would like to see an increase of some magnitude.”

3. Warren’s Arracks on Trump Started With Tweets Calling Him a “Loser”

Donald Trump, Elizabeth Warren

Warren used Trump’s words against him, calling him a loser. (Getty Images)

Considering how much Warren has had to say about Trump, it only started in March. Before that point, many were wondering what the staunch Democrat would say about him. And on March 21st, she delivered, going on an epic rant on both Facebook and Twitter about Trump. Most memorably, she referred to him as a “loser” and insecure. She also cautioned that this didn’t make him any less a threat to the Democrats. Warren doubled down on her criticisms, calling him a loser again as a guest on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.



4. Rumors Have Started That Warren Could Be a Possible Vice President for Hillary Clinton

Elizabeth Warren, Donald Trump

Some have thrown Warren’s name out as a possible VP candidate for the Democrats. (Getty Images)

Warren’s words have not just made her a fan favorite among liberal voters – they’ve impressed members of Hillary Clinton’s team as well. One told The Huffington Post that they were “thrilled to see her get under his skin.” Another told them “You want a running mate who can take the fight to the other side with relish,” an implication that Warren was under consideration to be Clinton’s running mate. Rumors quickly spread that she could be in the mix for the Democratic VP candidate.

Some, however, feel it wouldn’t be in anyone’s best interest to have a Clinton-Warren ticket. Reasons why range from Warren not yet endorsing Clinton, who The Washington Post describes as “the only other female Democratic senator in that position,” to Warren being able to get more accomplished as a Senator than as a Vice President, per U.S. News.

Not that Donald Trump would particularly mind her on Clinton’s ticket, of course…

5. Trump Has Responded By Calling Warren “Goofy” and Questioning Her Heritage

Donald Trump, Elizabeth Warren

Trump mocked and questioned Warren’s possible Native American heritage. (Getty Images)

Donald Trump is not known for brushing off criticism, and Warren’s was no exception. Her “loser” tweets went live on a Tuesday. Friday of that week, Trump shot back:


Warren was quick to respond with a critique of Trump’s choice of descriptor.

Trump’s tweet, however, was not his only reference to Warren’s heritage claims. In a 2012 senatorial campaign, Warren’s opponent Scott Brown seized on a Harvard directory that had Warren as a minority, leading to questions about whether or not she was Native American, and whether she used the heritage to further her career as a law professor. No substantive evidence has come out one way or the other to prove anything. The closest either side came to verifying anything, according to The Washington Post, was from the New England Historic Genealogical Society, who “found a family newsletter that alluded to a marriage-license application supposedly listing Warren’s great-great-great grandmother as part Cherokee.”

Trump has made mention of this, with him claiming that she’s lying, multiple times, including a recent New York Times interview. When asked about Warren’s harsh criticisms, Trump said mockingly, “I think it’s wonderful because the Indians can now partake in the future of the country.” He clarified his beliefs on the matter further, saying “Her whole life was based on a fraud.”

On Wednesday the 25th, Trump attacked her again, mockingly referring to Warren as “Pocahontas.”