Swalwell: I won’t be ‘butchering Spanish’ during Democratic debate

Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-Calif.) needled his fellow 2020 Democratic presidential candidates who took the debate stage Wednesday night, saying he didn’t plan on “butchering” Spanish Thursday evening.

Asked by CNN’s Brooke Baldwin if he was “practicing your Spanish tonight,” Swalwell responded, “I’m going to be me, and so that’s not going to include butchering Spanish.” 

“I’m going to be myself,” he added. “I think that will be enough.” 

Rep. Eric Swalwell says his strategy for tonight’s #DemDebate is to “show boldness,” and makes clear it will not include “butchering” Spanish pic.twitter.com/ja9kEjwG5Z

— CNN Politics (@CNNPolitics) June 27, 2019

Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.) and former Rep. Beto O’Rourke (D-Texas) both answered questions at Wednesday night’s debate in Spanish, with Booker’s facial expression in response to O’Rourke’s answer prompting a viral moment.{mosads}

Swalwell also sounded off on Sen. Elizabeth Warren’s (D-Mass.) affirmation that she is in favor of eliminating private health insurance, saying he believed such a move was “not disqualifying, but it’s not what the American people are asking for.”

“It just flies in the face, I think, of the choices that people want to have,” he added.

And the congressman hit former Vice President Joe Biden, so far the 2020 front-runner, saying Biden had too much experience in government to offer a “vision for the future.” 

“I don’t think we can nominate a candidate who has been in government for longer than 20 years. I just don’t think that’s going to work. I think we need someone who is going to offer a vision for the future,” Swalwell said.

Swalwell will share the stage in Miami Thursday night with Biden; Sens. Michael Bennet (D-Colo.), Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y) and Kamala Harris (D-Calif.); South Bend, Ind., Mayor Pete Buttigieg; former Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper; entrepreneur Andrew Yang; and best-selling author Marianne Williamson.

Williamson has also referenced the Spanish responses, tweeting Wednesday night that she “need[ed] to learn Spanish by tomorrow night at 9.”

Updated 7:06 p.m.