News

Julian Castro Announces 2020 Presidential Run, Says Trump “Failed The People Of Puerto Rico”

Former HUD Secretary Julian Castro announced on Saturday he would seek the Democratic nomination for president in 2020.

The 44-year-old Castro, who served as secretary of Housing and Urban Development under President Barack Obama from 2015 to 2017, was the youngest member of that cabinet. His identical twin brother Joaquin Castro is a Democratic congressman from Texas who is also the chairman of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus.

Julian Castro made his 2020 presidential bid announcement in San Antonio, but then chose Puerto Rico as his first visit following the reveal. While visiting the territory — which was severely damaged by Hurricane Maria in late 2017 — Castro made a bold statement about President Donald Trump and his administration’s response to the natural disaster.

“Unfortunately, as all of us witnessed, the Trump administration failed the people of Puerto Rico when Hurricane Maria hit,” Castro said at the annual Latino Victory Fund summit in San Juan on Monday. “I chose as my first visit after [my] announcement to come to Puerto Rico, because I want all the people of Puerto Rico to know that you count, that we respect you,” he added.

Subscribe to our free weekly newsletter!

A week of political news in your in-box.
We find the news you need to know, so you don't have to.

SLIDESHOW: DONALD TRUMP’S 30 CRAZIEST TWEETS

Castro also blasted the Trump administration for discussing the possibility of using funds allocated for Puerto Rico to invest in the southern border wall, an issue that has caused a stalemate between the president and Democratic lawmakers and over which the federal government remains shut down after more than three weeks.

According to The Hill, Congress has appropriated more than $18 billion for disaster relief managed by Housing and Urban Development. However, only around $2.6 billion has reached the territory, where hundreds of home were destroyed and nearly 3,000 people died. Despite the damage caused by Hurricane Maria and the subsequent mental health crisis — including rising suicide rates — on the island, Trump called his response to the disaster “an unsung success” and drew severe criticism from Puerto Rican government officials for this remark.

Castro, whose mother was a Mexican-American activist, also reportedly met with San Juan Mayor Carmen Yulin Cruz and others on Monday to discuss several redevelopment projects.

Pablo Mena

Writer for upolitics.com. NY Giants and Rangers fan. Film and TV enthusiast (especially Harry Potter and The Office) and lover of foreign languages and cultures.

Share
Published by
Pablo Mena

Recent Posts

Musk Apologizes To Trump For X Outburst Linking Him To Jeffrey Epstein

Tesla CEO Elon Musk has apologized for his public falling out with President Donald Trump.…

3 hours ago

Democratic Sen. Chris Murphy Launches PAC To Fight Trump Agenda Amid Reports Of ’28 Presidential Bid

Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Connecticut) has launched a new political action committee (PAC), the American Mobilization…

4 hours ago

Fox News Analyst Britt Hume Refutes Trump’s Claims About Ukraine, Saying It Has ‘Quite A Few Cards To Play’

Brit Hume, the Fox News chief political analyst, contradicted President Donald Trump's statement to the…

6 hours ago

FBI Director Kash Patel Says His Home Was ‘Swatted’

FBI Director Kash Patel has revealed that his home was "swatted" last week. "As Director…

22 hours ago

Trump’s ‘Gold Card’ Visa Program Offers Fast-Lane To U.S. Citizenship For Ultra-Rich

Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick announced the launch of the $5 million "gold card" U.S. residency…

22 hours ago

50% Of Tesla Owners Report Vandalism Since Tesla CEO Elon Musk Started Working On DOGE

In a new study, nearly 50% of Tesla owners report their vehicles have been vandalized,…

1 day ago