Conservative commentator Ann Coulter popped up in Facebook memeland recently with a post that quoted her as saying she wasn’t a descendent of immigrants, but rather of settlers.
This post was flagged as part of Facebook’s efforts to combat false news and misinformation on its News Feed. (Read more about our partnership with Facebook.) In this case, the claim about Coulter is accurate.
Coulter made the statement several times, notably on The View and on Twitter in 2015.
The particular quote in the meme comes from Coulter’s 2015 appearance on The View where she discussed her book “¡Adios, America! The Left’s plan to turn our country into a third world hellhole.”
As The View panel and Coulter discussed Coulter’s anti-immigration views, guest host Ana Navarro asks Coulter if she’s Native American.
Coulter responds, “Why, yes I am. I am a settler. I am descended from settlers — not from immigrants.”
“I’m not living in Cherokee nation; I did not immigrate to Cherokee nation,” Coulter continued. “We’re living in America, which was created by settlers, not immigrants.”
Following the interview, genealogist Megan Smolenyak took a look at Coulter’s family tree. While Coulter’s mother’s side can be traced back to colonialism, Smolenyak wrote that Coulter’s paternal ancestors came to America two centuries later than the first Europeans — a stretch for fitting the definition of “settler.”
We’re not judging whether it’s accurate for Coulter to call herself a settler. We’re just confirming that she described herself as such.
The Facebook meme quotes Coulter accurately. We rate this claim True.
PolitiFact Rating: 
Truth-o-meter Ruling
Statement
Says Ann Coulter said, "I am a settler. I am descended from settlers — not from immigrants."
Context
a Facebook postSpeaker/Target
Statement Date
Our Sources
Facebook post, Michael Randolph, Dec. 3, 2018
Video, "Ann Coulter on ‘The View’ for Adios America," Oct. 16, 2015
Tweet, Ann Coulter, Oct. 20, 2015
Video, "Ann Coulter My ancestors were never immigrants, they were settlers," Feb. 13, 2018
Ann Coulter, "Nell Husbands Martin Coulter," April 22, 2009
The Huffington Post, "Ann Coulter’s Immigrant Ancestors," Oct, 19, 2015
Translations
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