Democratic presidential candidate Julian Castro purchased a 30-second time slot for advertising during Fox & Friends — a program frequently watched by President Trump. The ad features Castro calling on the president to end his racist rhetoric against immigrant communities many have linked to the shooting in El Paso, Texas.
A message for @realdonaldtrump: pic.twitter.com/WFYRxm69hA
— Julián Castro (@JulianCastro) August 13, 2019
As The New York Times reported, moments prior to the El Paso shooting, the suspect posted his manifesto online saying there was a Hispanic "invasion" in the state. The suspect also admitted to targeting Mexican people at the attack, during his interview with police.
"As we saw in El Paso, Americans were killed because you stoked the fire of racists," Castro said, a former mayor of San Antonio, Texas, who later served as secretary of Housing and Urban Development during the Obama administration. "Innocent people were shot down because they look different from you — because they look like me, they look like my family."
Former President Barack Obama has also called out Trump; linking the language used in the manifesto to that used by Trump.
"We should soundly reject language coming out of the mouths of any of our leaders that feeds a climate of fear and hatred, or normalizes racist sentiments," Obama said. "[Such as] leaders who demonize those who don’t look like us, suggest that other people — including immigrants — threaten our way of life, refer to other people as sub-human, or imply that America belongs to just one certain type of people."
The ad could favor well for Castro, who has yet to qualify for the third Democratic debate. To qualify, candidates must attain 130,000 donors and maintain the support of two percent in four DNC-recognized polls. Castro needs to register at two percent in one more poll before the August 28 deadline, according to The Hill.
The ad is set to run throughout the day on Fox News in Bedminster, NJ; where Trump is staying throughout the week, according to the Washington Post. The Post also reported the spots cost the campaign just under $3,000.
