.
. >>> JOINING US NOW ON "MORNING
JOE," DEMOCRATIC PRESIDENTIAL
CANDIDATE, JULIAN CASTRO.
MR. MAYOR, GOOD TO HAVE YOU WITH
US.
US. WE’RE JOKING A COUPLE WEEKS AGO
YOU WERE SITTING IN THAT SEAT
SORT OF SMUG LIVELY GRINNING AT
WHEN WE ASKED IF YOU WERE GOING
TO RUN BECAUSE YOU COULDN’T SAY.
NO YOU’RE IN.
WELCOME TO THE RACE.
>> THANK YOU VERY MUCH.
>> LET ME ASK YOU THE ROGER MUDD
QUESTION.
QUESTION. WHAT’S YOUR BEST ANSWER FOR WHY
YOU WANT TO BE PRESIDENT OF THE
UNITED STATES?
UNITED STATES? >> I WANT TO BE PRESIDENT
BECAUSE I BELIEVE THAT WE NEED
NEW LEADERSHIP AND NEW ENERGY
AND BECAUSE HAVE I A VERY STRONG
VISION FOR OUR COUNTRY’S FUTURE.
I ANNOUNCED WE NEED TO BE THE
HEALTHIEST, FAIREST AND MOST
PROSPEROUS COUNTRY ON EARTH.
>> GREAT RESUMÉ, SUPER SMART
GUY, A LOT OF EXPERIENCE,
DEDICATED PUBLIC SERVANT, GOOD
GUY.
GUY. >> JUST STOP RIGHT THERE.
IT’S ALL GREAT.
>> HERE COMES THE COMMA.
BUT MAYBE TOO NICE OF A GUY TO
FIGHT DONALD TRUMP OVER THE
COURSE OF A TWO-YEAR
PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION.
PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION. HOW WOULD YOU APPROACH DONALD
TRUMP?
TRUMP? HOW WOULD YOU GET IN HIS FACE IF
YOU BELIEVE THAT’S THE RIGHT
APPROACH?
APPROACH? >> I MAY HAVE SAID THAT LAST
TIME I WAS HERE.
I’M CONVINCED WE’RE NOT GOING TO
BEAT DONALD TRUMP BY TRYING TO
BE DONALD TRUMP.
ALL OF US WHO ARE RUNNING I
THINK CAN STAND UP TO DONALD
TRUMP BUT YOU’RE NEVER GOING TO
OUTGUTTER DONALD TRUMP.
I WANT TO GIVE PEOPLE SOMETHING
TO BELIEVE IN.
I’VE ALWAYS BELIEVED THAT IF
YOU’RE GOING TO RUN FOR OFFICE,
YOU NEED TO TELL PEOPLE IF THEY
ELECT YOU WHAT YOU’RE GOING TO
DO FOR THEM AND THEIR FAMILY.
I’LL STAND UP TO DONALD TRUMP
AND OF CORSE I’M GOINGURSE I’M G
OUT WHERE I THINK HE’S FALLING
SHORT BUT I’M NOT GOING TO TRY
TO OUTGUTTER DONALD TRUMP.
I DON’T THINK THAT’S WHAT PEOPLE
WANT IN A CANDIDATE OR IN A
PRESIDENT.
PRESIDENT. >> MARCO RUBIO LEARNED PLAYING
TRUMP’S GAME WITH HIM DOESN’T
WORK.
WORK. >> AND YOU HAVE TO BE YOURSELF
AT THE END OF THE DAY.
SINCE THIS IS SO EARLY, WE HAVE
A LITTLE LUXURY ON GOING BIG
PICTURE.
PICTURE. I WOULD LOVE TO HEAR HOW YOU RUE
AMERICA’S ROLE IN THE WORLD AND
WHAT WOULD BE YOUR APPROACH TO
SYRIA, TO RUSSIA, TROOPS IN
AFGHANISTAN?
AFGHANISTAN? >> ESPECIALLY IN THE POST WORLD
WAR II ERA, THE UNITED STATES
HAS STRUCK ALLIANCES THAT HAVE
HELPED KEEP OR NATION SAFER OVER
THE GENERATIONS.
THE GENERATIONS. THE NUMBER ONE THING WOULD I DO,
THE FIRST THING I WOULD DO IS TO
REPAIR THOSE ALLIANCES, WHETHER
IT WITH NATO OR SOME OF OUR
ALLIES THAT DONALD TRUMP HAS
KEPT IN THE DARK, HAS INSULTED,
WE LIVE IN A WORLD IN WHICH THE
UNITED STATES I THINK HAS A ROLE
TO PLAY, SHOULD CONTINUE TO PLAY
A ROLE IN MAKING SURE THAT
THINGS LIKE DEMOCRACY AND
OPPORTUNITY AND FREEDOM ARE
EXPANDED AROUND THE WORLD.
>> SO DEMOCRACY PROMOTION WOULD
BE AT THE FOREFRONT OF YOUR
AGENDA AS PRESIDENT?
>> I THINK THAT’S PART OF IT,
SURE.
SURE. WE HAVE ACTORS IN THE WORLD THAT
WANT TO TAKE US IN THE OPPOSITE
DIRECTION
DIRECTION THE UNITED STATES SHOULD PLAY A
LEADING ROLE IN CHAMPIONING THE
VALUES THAT MADE OUR NATION THE
GREATEST ON EARTH.
>> I HAVE TWO QUESTIONS.
THE FIRST IS A SIMPLE YES OR NO.
BASED ON LAST NIGHT’S REPORT
ABOUT THE PRESIDENT INSTRUCTING
THE LYING TO CONGRESS, DO YOU
BELIEVE CONGRESS SHOULD IMPEACH
OUR PRESIDENT?
OUR PRESIDENT? >> I BELIEVE THEY SHOULD WAIT
FOR THE HEARINGS AND PROBABLY
THE MUELLER REPORT.
>> THERE’S A DEBATE ON THE LEFT
HAPPENING NOW ABOUT HOW TO JUDGE
THE OBAMA PRESIDENCY
HOLISTICALLY.
HOLISTICALLY. WHAT THINGS DO YOU THINK OBAMA
DID RIGHT BUT WHAT THINGS WOULD
YOU DO DIFFERENTLY?
>> I THINK PRESIDENT OBAMA DID A
LOT RIGHT.
LOT RIGHT. YOU KNOW, HIS SIGNATURE ISSUE
WAS HEALTH CARE, THE AFFORDABLE
CARE ACT.
CARE ACT. 20 MILLION MORE PEOPLE WERE ABLE
TO GET HEALTH CARE BECAUSE OF
THE PRESIDENT’S LEADERSHIP AND
SEVEN PRESIDENTS BEFORE HIM
TRIED TO GET THAT DONE AND THEY
DIDN’T.
DIDN’T. WHEN HE TOOK OFFICE, WE WERE
LOSING MORE THAN 700,000 JOBS
EVERY MONTH AND BY THE TIME HE
LEFT OFFICE, WE HAD HAD THE
LONGEST STREAK OF POSITIVE JOB
GROWTH THAT WE’D EVER SEEN.
SO I THINK HE DID A LOT RIGHT.
OBVIOUSLY I TAKE AN ISSUE LIKE
IMMIGRATION, I THINK IT’S FAIR
TO SAY THE ADMINISTRATION GOT
BETTER AND BETTER ABOUT THAT.
EVENTUALLY THEY DID DACA --
>> BUT THE EARLY DEPORTATION DO
YOU HAVE PROBLEMS WITH?
>> I SAID THAT AT THE TIME IN
2014.
2014. SO OF COURSE THERE ARE THINGS
THAT, YOU KNOW, ANY OF US MIGHT
DO DIFFERENTLY, BUT OVERALL THAT
WAS A VERY SUCCESSFUL
ADMINISTRATION AND THAT’S WHY,
AS YOU SEE JUST RECENTLY, PEOPLE
SAY THAT HE WAS THE BEST
PRESIDENT OF THEIR LIFETIME.
SO I DON’T THINK THAT WE NEED TO
WALK AWAY IN ANY WAY FROM THE
GREAT THINGS THAT PRESIDENT
OBAMA DID FOR THIS COUNTRY.
>> MR. MAYOR, YOU ARE NOW THE
CZAR OF SOLVING THE SHUTDOWN.
I’M NOT GOING TO GIVE YOU THE
OPTION OF AN ANSWER TO SAY,
WELL, EVERYBODY HAS TO GET
TOGETHER.
TOGETHER. SIMPLE SOLUTION, WE’LL GIVE
TRUMP ANOTHER $2 BILLION AND HE
CAN SAY HE BUILD PART OF THE
WALL.
WALL. YOU HAVE CART BLANCHE, HOW DO
YOU SOLVE IT?
>> THE DEMOCRATS AND REPUBLICANS
IN THE HOUSE AND SENATE PASSED
IDENTICAL LEGISLATION TO GET
PAST THIS SHUTDOWN.
>> WE’RE PAST THAT.
YOU CAN’T JUST GIVE POLITICAL
ANSWERS.
ANSWERS. YOU NOW HAVE TO GET US OUT OF
THIS.
THIS. THAT’S NOT HAPPENING.
GIVE ME A SPECIFIC THING KNOWING
WE GOT TO GIVE TRUMP A LIMB
SOMETHING, AS PAINFUL AS THAT IS
OR IT’S NOT GOING TO GET DONE.
>> FIRST OF ALL, IF I WERE
PRESIDENT WE WOULDN’T BE IN THIS
SITUATION.
SITUATION. BUT TO ANSWER YOUR QUESTION, THE
DEMOCRATS HAVE SAID THAT THEY’RE
WILLING TO GIVE ON BORDER
SECURITY AND I THINK THEY SHOULD
TELL THE PRESIDENT, LOOK, WHAT
ELSE IS ON YOUR PLATE?
THEY WILL INVEST IN TECHNOLOGY,
THEY WILL INVEST IN PERSONNEL
BUT THEY’RE NOT GOING TO INVEST
IN A CONCRETE WALL.
I BELIEVE THAT THEY SHOULD STICK
TO THAT.
TO THAT. >> 2020 PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE
JULIAN CASTRO, WE’LL BE HEARING
A LOT MORE FOR YOU.
>> A FORMER NAVY HELICOPTER
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