PHILADELPHIA — Rep. Joaquin Castro invoked his grandmother while slamming the Donald Trump for his past comments about Mexican immigrants during a speech at the Democratic National Convention Thursday night.
Castro opened up his five minute-long speech by mentioning his grandmother, who came to the U.S. as an orphan at the age of six and was not a “rapist or a murderer,” mentioning his ancestry further. He went on to invoke his brother, Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Julian Castro, telling the crowd that their story is not exclusive to them.
“He and I know our story is not unique. This room is filled with many proud Americans who can tell similar stories about their own families,” Castro said, pointing to Irish immigrants, those who ended up in internment camps during World War II. “The same camps that Donald Trump has defended and grew up to be war heroes, business owners, and public servants.”
“Children of immigrants who have contributed to our country as doctors, police officers, and guess what — impartial judges,” Castro said, referring to Trump’s public criticisms of Judge Gonzalo Curiel, who is overseeing the cases involving Trump University.
He also argued that Trump has been offering up false choices for Americans, particularly pointing to prosperity, national security, and justice, adding that Trump no solutions to solve the problems facing the U.S. He even used the opportunity to hit out at Sen. Ted Cruz, a potential 2018 Senate opponent, over his opposition to Obamacare.
“I don’t care what Donald Trump or Ted Cruz or anybody else says, the Affordable Care Act is here to stay because it’s saved millions of American lives,” Castro told the crowd.
Earlier this week, Cruz sent out a fundraising letter warning supporters of a potential 2018 run against Castro, which came almost a week after he was booed at the Republican National Convention after refusing to endorse Trump as the GOP nominee.
