Comedy Central’s The Daily Show host-of-the-week Josh Johnson reacted to President Trump’s appearance at Markwayne Mullin’s swearing-in ceremony to be secretary of Homeland Security by declaring that the lack of a Pocahontas joke about Sen. Elizabeth Warren proves that Trump either is getting less racist or has dementia. Naturally, Johnson settled on the latter. Of course, Johnson also never cared to explain the origin of the Pocahontas/Fauxcahontas jokes.
Johnson teed up a clip of Trump referencing the fact that Mullin was the only Native American senator during his tenure, “President Trump officially swore in [Kristi] Noem's replacement: Oklahoma senator and most Oklahoma-sounding man, Markwayne Mullin. Let's see how it went.”
The Daily Show's Josh Johnson reacts to Trump and Markwayne Mullin's swearing in ceremony "He spent all that time talking about Markwayne being the only Native American senator, and not once did he make an Elizabeth Warren-Pocahontas joke. That never would have happened 5 years… pic.twitter.com/WGhbZSiV6U
— Alex Christy (@alexchristy17) March 27, 2026
In the clip, Trump mused, “As the only Native American, I didn't know that. Huh? Let me look at you. Uhh. I think that's all right.”
Johnson reacted, ‘“Let me look at you?’ ‘Let me look at you’ feels like racist T-ball. Like, ‘Stay right there, be still, I'm about to knock this out of the park.’ I mean, maybe Trump was just excited because he thinks Markwayne might be one of the Village People.”
He then moved on to Warren, “But here's something I noticed: He spent all that time talking about Markwayne being the only Native American senator, and not once did he make an Elizabeth Warren-Pocahontas joke. That never would have happened five years ago, which means he's either getting less racist or he has dementia. He definitely has dementia.”
The Pocahontas/Fauxcahontas jokes are meant to criticize Warren, not make fun of Native Americans, because the actual racism would be Warren claiming to be a Cherokee—which Mullin actually is—to try to advance her career.
Here is a transcript for the March 26 show:
Comedy Central The Daily Show
3/26/2026
11:01 PM ET
JOSH JOHNSON: But now she's gone, and this week, President Trump officially swore in Noem's replacement: Oklahoma senator and most Oklahoma-sounding man, Markwayne Mullin. Let's see how it went.
DONALD TRUMP: As the only Native American, I didn't know that. Huh? Let me look at you. Uhh. I think that's all right.
JOHNSON: "Let me look at you?" "Let me look at you" feels like racist T-ball. Like, "Stay right there, be still, I'm about to knock this out of the park." I mean, maybe Trump was just excited because he thinks Markwayne might be one of the Village People. But here's something I noticed: He spent all that time talking about Markwayne being the only Native American senator, and not once did he make an Elizabeth Warren-Pocahontas joke. That never would have happened five years ago, which means he's either getting less racist or he has dementia. He definitely has dementia.
