I suppose it was inevitable that political tribalism would eventually start involving actual tribes. By now everyone has heard the awkward awkwardness created by our bad insult-comic in chief when he chose to attack Elizabeth Warren while he was supposed to be honoring the Navajo code-talkers.

"He needs to grow up": Navajo families decry Trump's "Pocahontas" jab https://t.co/yedstKUWbv

— News 12 NBC 26 (@WRDW_WAGT) November 28, 2017

This has naturally triggered the political tribes into attacking Trump’s jackassery as something worse than it actually is or defending it as hilarious and or an indication of his toughness on the left. Practically all of the rhetoric being slung about the faux pas misses the point. One side led by an apoplectic Senator Warren is saying Trump’s statement was a “racial slur.” No, it’s not a racial slur.

Trump literally used a racial slur at an event that was supposed to honor Native America Veterans, a few days after Thanksgiving. You couldn’t make this stuff up if you tried. He’s unfit for this job—and for any job really. Except for retirement. That’d work. #TrumpResign #Resist

— Scott Dworkin (@funder) November 28, 2017

The other side including Trump’s son is making this into a battle over political correctness. This is always used for cover whenever President Trump goes off script and makes an ass of himself. He’s striking a blow for free speech and against puritanical speech codes. No he’s not. He’s just being the jerk that he is and people are pretending it’s on purpose and part of a 12 dimensional chess strategy.

The irony of an ABC reporter (whose parent company Disney has profited nearly half a billion dollars on the movie “Pocahontas”) inferring that the name is “offensive” is truly staggering to me.

— Eric Trump (@EricTrump) November 28, 2017

Elizabeth Warren is way out of line calling this a racial slur. Sarah Huckabee Sanders was correct when she said Warren’s lying about her heritage for career and political gain is far more insulting to Native Americans than someone ridiculing her for doing so. She deserves the ridicule. I’ve doled out plenty of it myself.

But here’s the thing: Trump is still out of line. It’s not because of racial insensitivity or slurs, but because he took an event that was intended to honor American veterans and heroes and used it as a platform for his poo-flinging monkey routine. He dishonored men who made a critical and unique contribution to the defeat of the Axis Powers during World War Two. These men fought for a country that historically didn’t treat them very well and they deserve recognition. They didn’t deserve to have their moment crapped upon by our classless lout of a president.

The worst part is that “Pocahontas” isn’t even the right joke. “Fauxcahontas” is the nickname which makes fun of Warren’s lies.