By Laurel Morales, Fronteras Desk
Navajo Nation leaders are firming up plans to meet with presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump when he visits Arizona Saturday.
Campaign officials told the tribe that Trump is open to meeting with Navajo lawmakers after Trump recently angered Native American groups when he called Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren “Pocahontas.”
He has previously said the Washington Redskins National Football League football team should not change its name, although it offends Native Americans.
The Navajo Tribal Council has also invited Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton to meet with tribal leaders.
A Navajo council spokesman says they want to hear the candidates’ take on economic development and the coal industry. The tribe relies heavily on coal for revenue but environmentalists have pressured it to switch to renewable energy. About half the Navajo workforce is unemployed.
The Navajo Nation has not endorsed any candidate. Trump and Clinton campaigns did not respond to requests for comment on the potential for meeting with tribal officials.
Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders visited the Navajo Nation in March before the Arizona primary.
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