Transcript for Julian Castro meets with Iowans ahead of expected announcement on 2020

We grew up what my mother and my grandmother. My grandmother. Whose name was beat Bolivia had come over from Mexico which he was seven years old. Impugn her sister came over. Through eagle pass Texas and ended up in San Antonio with their nearest relatives because their parents who passed away. And my grandmother never finished elementary school and so she worked her entire life visit made a coconut the eighties it. And she raised my mother as a single parent. And then my mother raised my brother and me as a single parent. When my parents split up at the entity. I am convinced. That this nation has been at its greatest. When it recognizes and rewards hard work. With meaningful opportunity in life no matter who you are. The color your skin your background. How much money your folks have or don't have. And what I see in our country today. Is that for the first time in a long time we're going backward not follow. We have leadership in Washington DC. In the White House that its old determined. To divide Americans instead of unite them. It is so determined to pick and choose who gets opportunity and who doesn't. Based on your face. Or something else. That's so determined. To go backward. And what I believe. Is that in this 21 century if we're gonna succeed as a country than we need a strong vision for the future. And my vision for the future of the United States. Is that we being the smartest. The healthiest. But barest. In the most prosperous nation in the world. I also believe that we need to be the healthiest nation. There is no reason is many folks have pointed out. It in the richest nation on earth anybody. Should go. Without health care. I believe that we need universal health care that we should do better care for. I'm really into being. The fairest nation. We haven't had. A minimum wage increase in almost ten years. We need to raise the minimum wage in our country so that everybody can get ahead and I don't. We need a tax system that rewards work. And not only rewards big corporations and folks that are already doing well. We need to make sure that no matter what the color your skin is. Or how you identify. It in our criminal justice system everybody's treated equally. And that nobody is above the law including the president of the United States.

This transcript has been automatically generated and may not be 100% accurate.