Rick Santorum Slammed for Saying America Was Birthed From Nothing, There ‘Isn’t Much Native American Culture’
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CNN’s Rick Santorum is being heavily criticized for insisting that the United States was built on a blank slate, ignoring the history and culture of the country’s Indigenous people.
Santorum, the network’s senior political commentator and a former GOP congressman, made the remarks during the student organization Young America’s Foundation’s Standing Up for Faith & Freedom conference last week.
“We birthed a nation from nothing. I mean, there was nothing here,” Santorum said. “I mean, yes we have Native Americans, but candidly there isn’t much Native American culture in American culture.”
He continued, “It was born of the people who came here pursuing religious liberty to practice their faith, to live as they ought to live and have the freedom to do so. Religious liberty. Those are the two bulwarks of America. Faith and freedom.”
Santorum added that while other countries have “changed over time,” the United States hasn’t evolved culturally since Christian settlers from Europe had to build America from nothing.
The Pennsylvania Republican received swift backlash on social media, with many calling for him to be removed from CNN’s lineup.
“Well then @CNN. Come get your nativist, revisionist, racist boy,” author Roxane Gay tweeted.
Jaime Harrison, chairman of the Democratic National Committee, tweeted: “Seriously is anyone surprised to hear this hot garbage coming from Rick Santorum?! Nothing was here?! No native American culture in American culture?! America hasn’t changed?!”
The Palmer Report directly addressed CNN, writing in a tweet: “Hey CNN do you agree with what your employee Rick Santorum said about Native Americans, or are you going to fire him?”
Brian Sims, a Democratic member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives, wrote in a Twitter post that Santorum’s comments were “RACIST TRASH.”
“There are countless reasons why Pennsylvania is ashamed of Rick Santorum,” Sims wrote. “One of our most racist, xenophobic and bigoted exports, this Google stain deserves no attention and @CNN has to do the work of removing and apologizing for the amplification they give him.”
Meghan McCain, a co-host of ABC’s The View and daughter of the late GOP senator John McCain, tweeted: “Rick Santorum has always been an absolute a**hole – this is so ignorant and dangerous. I was raised learning, respecting and appreciating Native American culture in Arizona, specifically Hopi and Navajo. So much so that a Navajo flutist and drummer performed at my dads funeral.”
Newsweek reached out to CNN for comment on the backlash to Santorum’s remarks but did not receive a response before publication.
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