Former Housing Secretary Julian Castro told the NAACP annual conference on Wednesday that President Trump has been stoking white nationalism for political gain, labeling the commander-in-chief the “biggest identity politician to come along in the last 50 years.”

Mr. Castro said he is running to make sure that everybody in the United States has a “place at the table” and said his vision includes raising taxes to pay for programs that aim to lift up low-income and middle-income individuals — particularly in black communities.

“I haven’t been afraid to be bold and fearless in the face of a president who is the biggest identity politician to come along in the last 50 years — trying to divide us on racial and ethnic and religious lines,” Mr. Castro said.

Mr. Castro touted his “police reform” plan that seeks to demilitarize police and said he would look to crack down on white nationalist movements.

“We’ve seen the rise in white nationalism and this identity politics of the alt-right that the president is stoking, that he is building his career on,” Mr. Castro said. “I would make sure the Department of Justice is focused on rooting that out.”

Mr. Castro said the nation will have to raise taxes to pay for his vision, and that he will begin by repealing a replacing the Trump tax cuts.

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