The Daily Show: Ears Edition - ICYMI - Julian Castro on "An Unlikely Journey" & the 2020 Presidential Election

Episode Date: August 5, 2019

Former HUD Secretary Julian Castro talks about Ben Carson's performance in his old position, his book "An Unlikely Journey" and his potential 2020 presidential run. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

You're listening to Comedy Central. Hey everybody, John Stewart here. I am here to tell you about my new podcast. The Weekly Show is going to be coming out every Thursday. So exciting. You'll be saying to yourself, TGID. Thank God it's Thursday we're going to be talking about. All the things that hopefully obsess you in the same way that they obsess me. The election. Economics. Earnings calls. What are they talking about on these earnings calls? We're going to be talking about

ingredient to bread ratio on sandwiches. And I know that I listed that fourth, but in importance, it's probably second. I know you have a lot of options as far as podcasts go, but how many of them come out on Thursday? I mean, talk about innovative. Listen to the weekly show with John Stewart, wherever you get your podcast. Please welcome, Julian Castro. Welcome to the show. Good to be with you.

This is so strange because we had your twin brother on the show. And so I feel like I met you on the show, but I haven't met you on the show. Then he used a standard line that he but I haven't met you on the show. Then he uses standard line that I'm a minute uglier than he is. Is that what he says? That's what he tells people, yeah. This is an interesting time for you to be here, for you to be coming out with this book. For you to be, I guess, involved in politics in any any any any way way way way way way way way way any any any any any any any any any any any any any any any any any any any any any any any any any any any any. What does that mean to you? Why that title? Well to me it means that in each generation in my family, starting with my grandmother who came in 1922 from Mexico, it's an orphan,

we found out that it's not enough in America to just work hard and for your family to work to work to improve society. My mother became a Mexican-American civil rights. to to to to to thiiiiiiiiiiiii. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi to to to to to to to to to to to to me to me to to me to to to to to to to to to to to to to to th th th. W th. W th. W. W. W. W. W. W. W. W. W. W. th. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. the the the the. theateateate theate theate theate the theateate the to me me to me to me to me the. the. the. to just work hard and for your family to work hard, that you also needed to work to improve society. My mother became a Mexican-American civil rights activist. She ran for city council in San Antonio when she was 23 in 1971. Right. Tried to improve things for the community. And then my brother and I have always seen public service as a way basically to ensure that people that grow up in tough circumstances can achieve their American dream., it, it, it, it, it, it, it, it, it, it, th, th, th, th, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I thi thi, thi, thi, to to just, to just, to just, to just, thi, to just, to just, to just, to just, to just, to just, to just, to just, to just, to just, to just, to just, to just, to just, to to just, to to just, to to to just, to just, to to just, to to to just, thi, to just, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, to just, thii, thiiiiiiii, thiiii, thiiii, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, to to to ensure that people that grow up in tough circumstances can achieve their

American dream. It's also, I think, relevant today because what we see right now are young people across the country figuring out that they have a powerful voice. Whether it's a March for our lives, students, or any number of other activists, young people are leading the way, pushing us to get better against an administration that is trying to take us backward. You were part of an administration previously. It was beloved by many. You worked in a position at HUD, housing and urban development.

Ben Carson now has your job. When you see him now, do you go like, wow, I didn't realize how many naps I could take? Or are you impressed with the work he's doing? You know, I have gotten asked more about that $31,000 dining set than any housing policy question in the last year. Because he bought, yeah, he bought expensive furniture. But what do you make of the job that he's doing right now? And more importantly, what do you think that job is supposed to be to be to be to be to be to be to be to be to be to be to be to be to be to be to be to be to be to be to be to be to be to be about to be about the the their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their?? their their? their? their? their? their? their? their? their? their? their? their? their? their? their? their? their? their? their? their? their? their? their? their? their? their? their? their? their? their? their th. th. th. the. te. te. te. te. te. te. te. th. their. their? I. their? I. their? I. the job that he's doing right now? And more importantly, what do you think that job is supposed to be about? Well, the job is supposed to be about making sure that folks who are poor and who are middle class have housing opportunity.

I mean, people no matter where they live in the United States can see that the rent is going up, you know, going through the roof like crazy. And folks are having to spend more and more of their their their their income their income their income their income their income their income their income their income their income their income their income, their income, their income, their income, their thi, thi, thi, and more and thi, and thoes, and thi, thi, and people thoes, and people tho, and people tho, and people, and people, and people, and people, and people, and people, and people, and people, and people, and people, thi, thi, thi, thi, and people thi, and people thi, thi, thi, and people, thi, thi, thi, and people, thi, thi, and thi, and thi, and thi, and thi, and thi more and more of their income just to pay their rent. At the same time, that department under that leadership doesn't have a commitment to the mission of HUD to expanding that opportunity. The White House wanted to cut the budget by $6 billion. It was so weird because the people that we used to fight with, the Republican Congress, they actually, they were the saviors in not cutting the HUD budget by six billion dollars that's how bad it is the people that that that used to fight you on it to now say they said no no that's too much for us you know there's just not a commitment to the mission of the organization

we are at a time when America is at a crossroads twenty days away from the midterms everyone says that this is this this this is this is this is this is this is this is this is th th th th th th is going th is going th is going th is going th is going th at says that this is going to be a referendum on Donald Trump. When you look at voter breakdown, you know, you are Julian Castro and one of the things that people always speak to is like, you are one of the faces that is emerging from the Democratic Party as someone who represents Hispanic or Latino voters, however they represent, or however they wish to be represented. When you look at the vote numbers, though, they say in America 55 percent of people who consider themselves Latino are planning to vote, which is a low number relatively speaking.

How do you think the Democratic Party and the Republicans themselves can get people out voting? Well, I think that folks need to reach out to those communities where they are with the issues that matter to them and that it can't be one or two candidates and it can't just be folks Trying to gin up registration and turnout six months before an election There has to be a massive and sustained effort to get folks in the Hispanic community Registered to vote and then to turn out to vote right and I think if that happens Not only is that better for the Latino community better for our democracy., but I, but I, but I, but I., but I. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to thi. to to to thi to thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi th if that happens, not only is that better for the Latino community, better for our democracy, but I think that it's going to be better for the party that can demonstrate that they can meet their needs.

And I believe that's going to be the Democratic Party. It's interesting, um... It's interesting that you've kept your name as Julian Castro in a time when your political opponents will obviously go after that. You know they'll go like oh another Castro, Fidel Castro the Hulian coming to take your jobs it's more of them. Are you prepared for that is something that you've actively chosen to not be like I'm Julian Castro? Well you know in the book I write that in school when I was growing up in school even though my name the th. th. th. th. th. th. the th. the th. th. the th. th. the th. th. th. th. the th. th. the the the the the the the the the the's the's the the the their the. I the the. I the. I their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their their teateateateateateat. I's teole. I's their their their their their their their their their their their was growing up in school even though my name is Hulean the teachers would call me Julian and it wasn't until I went to college where you can kind of define yourself that I starts to know it's Hulian

but I was thinking the other day because I'm I'm considering running in 2020 that I've always had the accent over my A in my name right that I bet I bet if I did that on the sign that that that that that that that that that that that that th th th th th th th th th th th th th th th th that th that the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the tea tea tea.ea.ea.ea.ea. tea. tea. tea. tea. tea. tea. their their the the the the the accent over my A in my name. Right. That I bet if I did that on the sign that that would be the first time that anybody has run for president with the accent and accent over a letter. Oh wow. Not being afraid to say that hey. Yeah, something that's simple, but that's who you are and you should run as who you are. So let's let's talk about that little nugget that that that that that that that that that that that that that that that that that that that that that that that that that you that that that you that that that that you are that's that's that's that's that's that's that's that's that's that's that's that's that's that's that's that's that's. that's that's that's that's that's that's that's that's that's that's that's that's that's that's that's that's that's that's that's that's that's that's that's that's that's that's that's that's that's that's that's that's that's that's that's that's the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the throoooooooooooooo. I. that's that's that's Let's... Let's... So let's talk about that little nugget that you just slipped in there. I'll be running...

I will be... And on Tuesday I will be running for president of the United States. I did not say that I would be. Very casual. Very casual. Very casual. Very casual. I do that all the United States. 2020 is on the horizon.

People are looking, going, who will represent the Democratic Party? And right now it looks like there are 100 people in the running. Some people are concerned by this, saying that, is that not going to create an abrasive atmosphere where Democrats are destroying themselves before the race? How do you feel about that as somebody who may be considered as one of the race. How do you feel about that as somebody who may be considered as one of the smaller candidates in the running right now? No, I actually think we need that. Coming out of 2016, warranted or not, there was a lot of bitterness. And so I believe that having 15 or 20 people running is actually going to be cathartic for the Democratic Party, where you have a whole

bunch of debates, people feel like everybody had their say, and their part of the political spectrum and the party was represented, and then at the end of the day, that's going to make the eventual nominee stronger and more likely to defeat Donald Trump, or Mike Pence, or whoever it is, in November 20, Let me ask you this then.

Let me ask you this then, let me ask you this then. If you were to get to that point, do you genuinely believe that you could go toe toe with Donald Trump, understanding that there is no skeleton in his closet, like he is the skeleton in the closet? Like, you realize there's not much like you, do you, like, do you understand the gravity of the situation? You're up against somebody who's like he's like, like, like, the, the, the, the, th, th, th, th, th, to, to, to, to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to, to to to to, to to to to to to to to, to too, too, too, too, too, too, to, to, to, to, to, to, to, to, to, to, to, to, to, to, to, to, to, to, to, to, to, to, to to, to, to to to to to to to to to to toe, is toe, is toe, is toe, is too, too, too, too, too, too, too, too, is too, too, too, is too, is too, is too, is too, is too, is too, the situation, you're up against somebody who's like he's talking point-proof, he is the Teflon Don, nothing gets to him. What do you think you would do differently in going up against Donald Trump? Well I would say two things. First of all, if I decide to run, I don't think that you're going to beat Donald Trump by

trying to be Donald Trump. If you watch boxing or sports or other things, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you th, you th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, thi, th, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thin thin thin, thin, thin, thin, thin, thin, thin, thi thi thi thi thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thin, thin, thin, thin, thin, thin, thin, thin, thin, thin, thin, thin, thin, thin, thin, thin, thin, thin, thin, thin boxing or sports or other things, you see that oftentimes people that are considered invincible are not beaten by somebody that has exactly the same skill set. They're beaten by somebody that has a different style. But maybe more importantly, it's the folks who have been hopeful and optimistic and painted a strong vision for the future that especially as Democrats have prevailed, you think about in the modern era Kennedy or Carter when he ran represented a break from scandal.

Right. Or Clinton when he ran, or of course, maybe the best example, Barack Obama in 2008. So I think that the next nominee has to be able to stand up to Donald Trump and to call him out, but also to speak directly to the American people and offer a strong, hopeful vision for the future. It's going to be exciting to see what happens. Thank you so much to be on a show. An unlikely journey is available now.

Huleon Castro, everybody. The Daily Show with Trevor Noah, ears edition. Watch the Daily Show weeknights at 11, 10 Central on Comedy Central and the Comedy Central app. Watch full episodes and videos at the Daily Show. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram and subscribe to the Daily Show on YouTube for exclusive content and more. This has been a Comedy Central podcast. John Stewart here.

Unbelievably exciting news. My new podcast, The Weekly Show. We're going to be talking about the election, economics, ingredient to bread ratio on sandwiches. Listen to the Weekly Show with John Stewart. Wherever you get your podcast.