Booker torches Trump at convention: ‘He has failed us’

Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.) knocked President Trump on Thursday night, saying that he had “failed” the country, and urged Americans to come “together.” 

“Working people are under attack, the wealth gap grows, our middle class shrinks and poverty persists. Last week, Donald Trump said ‘our economy is doing good,’ while 40 million Americans are at risk of losing their homes,” Booker said during the virtual Democratic National Convention. 

“He has failed us,” Booker added.

The U.S. economy has been hammered by the rapid spread of the coronavirus, which forced businesses to scale back or close altogether, and sparked a wave of layoffs that have had a ripple effect across the country. 

The stock market has ticked upward despite the spread of the virus, baffling analysts. And initial jobless claims rose to more than 1 million for the week ending Aug. 15, according to Labor Department data released on Thursday. Economists had expected the figure to fall to around 923,000.

Booker sought to contrast Trump with former Vice President Joe Biden and Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.), the party’s respective presidential and vice presidential nominee, saying that they would raise the minimum wage. 

“Joe Biden and Kamala Harris know the dignity of all working Americans. They know the urgency and the demand of our dream. … Together we’ll fight for those who keep us healthy, who keep us safe, who teach our children,” he said. 

Booker also referenced his own grandfather, who he noted moved from the South and got a union job in Michigan, saying he would be “so proud” of the Democratic ticket. 

“He’d tell us, take another by the hand, and another, and let’s get to work, this dream ain’t free, you gotta work for it. So like his generation, up and out of the depression, let’s now work together and stand together and, America, together we will rise,” Booker added.