ABC News chief White House correspondent Jon Karl called 2020 presidential candidate Julián Castro’s attack on Joe Biden “flatly wrong” during post-debate analysis.
During Thursday night’s debate, Castro attacked Biden for what he characterized as an apparent flip-flop from moments earlier about the former vice president’s healthcare plan. The former Housing and Urban Development head alleged that Biden’s healthcare plan would force Americans to opt into the public Medicare plan, however that’s not what Biden had said minutes before.
Biden defended his plan and explained that his plan would automatically enroll people. In response, Castro attacked the front-runner, saying, “You just said two minutes ago that they would have to buy in. You said they would have to buy in. Are you forgetting what you said two minutes ago?”
Castro was apparently referencing both the former vice president’s age and his propensity to make incorrect statements.
Karl, who was participating in post-debate coverage for the network, addressed Castro’s attack.
“I want to look at that moment, that incredible moment where Julián Castro seemed to be playing the age card on Joe Biden, saying that he had forgotten what he had just said two minutes earlier on the ‘Medicare for all’ issue. I looked back at the transcript here and it looks to me like Julián Castro was just flatly wrong,” Karl began.
“The question was whether or not somebody would have to buy into Medicare under his plan, if they couldn’t afford it, whether or not they would be automatically be enrolled,” he continued. “Here’s what Biden said, less than two minutes earlier. ‘You’ll be able to buy in. Anyone who can’t afford gets automatically enrolled in the Medicare typed option. Anyone who can’t afford gets automatically enrolled.’ It seemed to me that Biden was right and that Castro mischaracterized what he said.”
