Presidential candidate and former secretary of Housing and Urban Development Julián Castro (D.) said Republican base voters love cruelty in their politics.
"I think, for whatever reason, on the other side of the aisle, on the Republican side of the aisle, people get off on that," Castro said. "Look at Trump at the debates in 2016. There's a certain element within that base that seems to love it when people are cruel to one another. And I don't know why that is."
Castro told AM Joy host Joy Reid that he does not think everyone in the party falls into this camp, but a portion of the base does love it.
"But, clearly, Trump has built up his political record and reputation, and this administration has continued a record of cruelty toward migrants, toward people who are poor, and there's a certain amount of that base that seems to love it," he said.
"I don't understand it, but I can say that we're going to move in a completely different direction where we build an America that's not based on cruelty. That's based on compassion and common sense. That's the kind of country that we need," he added.
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