Actor Rob Lowe deleted a tweet mocking Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., for her past claims of Native American ancestry.
The 54-year-old “The West Wing” and “Parks and Recreation” actor tweeted Saturday evening, “Elizabeth Warren would bring a whole new meaning to Commander in ‘Chief,'” after Warren officially launched her 2020 presidential campaign.
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In another tweet after midnight Sunday, Lowe caved to public opinion and backed down from the joke.
“I deleted my Elizabeth Warren tweet. It was a joke and some peeps got upset, and that’s never my intention,” Lowe said. “On the GOOD side: I just got to use the Oxford comma!”
I deleted my Elizabeth Warren tweet. It was a joke and some peeps got upset, and that’s never my intention. On the GOOD side: I just got to use the Oxford comma!
— Rob Lowe (@RobLowe) February 10, 2019
Lowe’s initial tweet followed one from President Trump that made fun of Warren, once again calling the senator “Pocahontas.”
“Today Elizabeth Warren, sometimes referred to by me as Pocahontas, joined the race for President,” Trump said. “Will she run as our first Native American presidential candidate, or has she decided that after 32 years, this is not playing so well anymore? See you on the campaign TRAIL, Liz!”
Today Elizabeth Warren, sometimes referred to by me as Pocahontas, joined the race for President. Will she run as our first Native American presidential candidate, or has she decided that after 32 years, this is not playing so well anymore? See you on the campaign TRAIL, Liz!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 9, 2019
The president’s tweet was roundly criticized for the apparent reference to the “Trail of Tears,” the name of the perilous trek Native Americans took after being forced from their lands in the Southeast U.S. after President Andrew Jackson signed the Indian Removal Act in 1830, leaving more than 4,000 Cherokees dead.
Among those who reacted to Lowe’s original tweet was actress Alyssa Milano, a vocal Trump critic. “Tonight, the role of Scott Baio will be played by Rob Lowe,” she said, referring to a fellow actor who identifies as Republican and has defended Trump.
Tonight, the role of Scott Baio will be played by Rob Lowe. https://t.co/Tpv9RVwyRh
— Alyssa Milano (@Alyssa_Milano) February 10, 2019
Someone also edited Lowe’s Wikipedia page to call him a “racist.” The change was undone within seconds, according to the page’s revision history.
In recent days, Warren has apologized amid a wave of backlash from political allies and enemies alike for identifying as Native American in the past, including during her time as a professor at Harvard University and other colleges, and for taking a DNA test last year to show she had Native American roots.
“I told him I was sorry for furthering confusion about tribal citizenship,” Warren told the Washington Post last week, referring to her recent apology to the Cherokee Nation for flaunting the results of her DNA test which suggested she had a distant Native American relative. “I am also sorry for not being more mindful about this decades ago. We had a good conversation.”
“I can’t go back,” she said. “But I am sorry for furthering confusion on tribal sovereignty and tribal citizenship and harm that resulted.”
That same Post report published a 1986 Texas bar registration card, found via an open records request, on which Warren claimed “American Indian” was her race.
