Castro swipes at Trump for taking credit for good economy: Thanks Obama

Former Obama administration official and 2020 hopeful Julián Castro criticized President Trump during the Democratic presidential primary debate on Wednesday for taking credit for economic growth that he said “was due to President Barack Obama.”

“This president always likes to take credit like he did this,” Castro said at the Fox Theatre in Detroit on Wednesday night. 

{mosads}“We’ve now had about 105 straight months of positive job growth, the longest streak in American history,” he continued. “Over 80 months of that was due to President Barack Obama. Thank you Barack Obama.”

Castro’s remarks came after he was pressed about during the CNN debate about whether he could guarantee raising taxes won’t hurt the economy.

Castro: “We’ve now had about 105 straight months of positive job growth … over 80 months of that was due to President Barack Obama. Thank you, Barack Obama” #DemDebate pic.twitter.com/Al8UhBIlOw

— CNN Politics (@CNNPolitics) August 1, 2019

“First of all, there are a lot of Americans right now that are hurting,” the former Housing and Urban Development secretary answered. “Just go and ask the folks that just received that they’re going to get laid off by General Motors. Or ask the many folks who are sleeping on the streets in big cities and small towns across the United States.”

“Or ask fast food workers that I joined a couple of weeks ago that are working for minimum wage and can’t provide for their families or pay the rent. So, the idea that America is doing just fine is wrong,” he continued. 

“I believe that we need to invest in what will ensure that Americans can prosper in the years to come,” Castro went on to say, “making sure they have the knowledge and skills to compete in the 21st century economy, ensuring that they can afford the rent where they live and that they have health care so that they don’t have to worry about going homeless because they can’t afford a medical procedure.”