Trump claims Native American reservations run on organized crime

The Trump Timeline

Sources linked at end of page.

Statistics

Related Topics

In an interview with radio host Don Imus, Donald Trump claims that Native tribes and reservations are actually ran by organized crime and have less “Indian blood” than he does.

I think I might have more Indian blood than a lot of the so-called Indians that are trying to open up the reservations… A lot of these reservations are being, in some people’s opinion, at least to a certain extent, run by organized crime and organized crime elements. There’s no protection. There’s no anything. And it’s become a joke.

Donald J. Trump

Trump goes on to suggest that many tribe members are actually Black Americans, and “if you’ve ever been up there, you would truly say that these are not Indians.”

What Trump does not mention in the interview is that he’s in the beginning of a decade-long campaign to protect his own casino profits. When laws changed in 1988 to allow for more gambling on reservations, Atlantic City and Trump’s near-monopoly on East Coast gambling was put at risk. He recently filed a lawsuit to block casinos on reservations, claiming that the 1988 law discriminates against him.

Trump also doesn’t tell Imus that he’s working with a tribe in California.

Trump personally called the chairman of the Agua Caliente band of the Cahuilla Indians and visited the tribe’s administrative offices in an unsuccessful attempt to manage the tribe’s proposed casino, according to a statement the chairman later gave to federal lawmakers. The tribe chose to partner with another casino operator.

The Washington Post

External Sources

The Washington Post (Archived)

The New York Times (Archived)

Photo: Getty Images via HuffPost

Get More Trump Secrets in Your Inbox

Support The Site

Donald Trump was not the first criminal elected to public office, and he won’t be the last. It’s up to US to hold them accountable.

TrumpFile.org is a free resource tracking long-term immorality, lawbreaking, and corruption by Donald Trump and allies in and out of Congress. Your contribution today helps us keep the website free to the public AND hire new researchers to continue this important work.

Click below to be redirected to ActBlue.

Statistics

Related Topics

Also On Trump File