Democratic presidential candidate and former Housing and Urban Development Secretary Julián Castro on Monday said that President Trump Donald John TrumpHR McMaster says president's policy to withdraw troops from Afghanistan is 'unwise' Cast of 'Parks and Rec' reunite for virtual town hall to address Wisconsin voters Biden says Trump should step down over coronavirus response MORE has "contributed to more racial strife" in the U.S. while pressing his case for the Oval Office.

Univision's Jorge Ramos during an interview asked Castro if he believes Trump is "racist."

"I think he certainly has tried to harness that for his political advantage," Castro replied. "I believe that he uses immigrants, for instance, as a boogeyman. That he tries to stoke fear and paranoia about them."

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"And so yeah, I think that he has contributed to more racial strife in this country," Castro said.

Castro during the interview said that he believes his candidacy will carry a lot of weight for Hispanic Americans. If chosen by the Democrats, Castro would be the first Latino presidential nominee on a major-party ticket.

"And you know, for the Latino community I do think that my candidacy is going to be meaningful," Castro said during the interview. "Especially right now, when so many Latinos feel like the Latino community is under attack from this president."

"My hope is that, that I can stand up there and give a vision for the country that everybody can believe in," he said. "But also, when young Latinos and Latinas see me on that stage, that they can see that they can accomplish that, too."

Castro announced his presidential bid over the weekend, slamming Trump during the speech. Castro told hundreds of supporters in San Antonio that he is jumping into the race because of a "crisis of leadership" from the president.