Donald Trump admits he rooted for the housing crisis: 'It's called business'

Donald Trump.
(Image credit: Win McNamee/Getty Images)

Hillary Clinton didn't wait too long during Monday night's debate to use earlier comments made by Donald Trump during the Great Recession against him.

Trump, she said, was one of the "people who rooted for the housing crisis." In 2006, Clinton continued, Trump said, "'Gee, I hope it does collapse, because then I can go in and buy some and make some money.' Well, it did collapse." She was interrupted by Trump, who embraced his remarks, saying, "That's called business, by the way." Clinton finished her statement by reminding the audience that "nine million people lost their jobs, five million lost their homes, and $13 trillion in family wealth was wiped out" during the Great Recession.

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Catherine Garcia, The Week US

Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.