- Details
- By Levi Rickert
WASHINGTON — Rick Santorum, former Pennsylvania U.S. senator turned CNN political commentator, seems to have his own twist on the origins of the United States, which includes the erasure of Native American culture.
In a speech last Friday at the Standing Up For Faith & Freedom Conference for the Young America's Foundation, a conservative youth organization, Santorum portrayed a country built on faith and freedom. Santorum said the country was set up based on Judeo-Christian principles, and that white settlers “birthed a nation from nothing.” A clip of his speech went viral on social media.
Santorum said non-Native people came to the country and created a clean slate.
Ignoring agriculture items introduced to Europeans upon arrival in the western hemisphere and the influence the Iroquois Confederacy had on American democracy, Santorum said “that there isn’t much Native American culture in American culture.”
Here is a transcript of Santorum’s controversial speech:
“If you think about this country, I don't know of any other country in the world that was settled predominately by people who were coming to practice their faith. They came here because they were not allowed to practice their particular faith in their own country. And so they came here, mostly from Europe, and they set up a country that was based on Judeo-Christian principles — when I say Judeo-Christian, the Mosaic laws, 10 Commandments, and the teachings of Jesus Christ, the morals and teachings of Jesus Christ. That's what our founding documents are based upon. It's in our DNA.
“You know, if you think of other countries like Italy and Greece and China, Turkey and places like that, they've all, sort of, changed over time. I mean, they've been there for millennia in many cases. And their culture has, sort of, evolved over time. But not us.
“We came here and created a blank slate. We birthed a nation from nothing. I mean, there was nothing here. I mean, yes, we have Native Americans but candidly there isn't much Native American culture in American culture. 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. I mean, you hear it all the time about faith and freedom, faith and freedom. But it is what makes America unique in the world.”
Santorum served in the U.S. Senate from 2005 to 2007. He ran a failed campaign seeking the Republican nomination in 2012, bested by Mitt Romney.
Santorum’s comments have spurred calls on social media for his termination at CNN.
He has been a CNN political commentator since 2017 presenting a conservative point of view.
More Stories Like This
Native News Weekly (August 25, 2024): D.C. BriefsUS Presidents in Their Own Words Concerning American Indians
Two Murdered on Colville Indian Reservation
NDAA passes House; Lumbee Fairness Act Advances
NFL, Vikings to Host Native All-American Game, Youth Flag Clinic
Help us defend tribal sovereignty.
At Native News Online, our mission is rooted in telling the stories that strengthen sovereignty and uplift Indigenous voices — not just at year’s end, but every single day.
Because of your generosity last year, we were able to keep our reporters on the ground in tribal communities, at national gatherings and in the halls of Congress — covering the issues that matter most to Indian Country: sovereignty, culture, education, health and economic opportunity.
That support sustained us through a tough year in 2025. Now, as we look to the year ahead, we need your help right now to ensure warrior journalism remains strong — reporting that defends tribal sovereignty, amplifies Native truth, and holds power accountable.
The stakes couldn't be higher. Your support keeps Native voices heard, Native stories told and Native sovereignty defended.
Stand with Warrior Journalism today.
Levi Rickert (Potawatomi), Editor & Publisher
