BEDFORD, N.H. (WHDH) - Tech entrepreneur Andrew Yang told 7’s Sharman Sachetti that he is just being himself — and that is why he says his White House bid is gaining momentum.
Videos showing the 2020 Democratic presidential candidate crowd surfing at rallies and dancing for his supporters have gone viral.
When asked if he thought those acts made it harder for potential voters to take him seriously, Yang replied with the facts.
“As you know, I raised $10 million in the last quarter and I just qualified for not just this debate in October but also the November debates. I was fourth in recent national polls — and so people are taking us more and more seriously because the message is hitting home.”
Yang’s platform includes what he calls a universal basic income — a plan to give away $1,000 to every American over the age of 18.
He says this will help counter the impact of automation.
Some of his opponents say this is an unrealistic plan.
To which Yang counters, “What’s unrealistic is letting a trillion-dollar tech company like Amazon pay zero in taxes and think that’s going to be sustainable.”
Yang supports the impeachment inquiry but warns Democrats can’t solely focus on President Trump.
“Every moment we spend talking about Donald Trump is not moving the country forward,” he said.
Yang, a basketball fan and player, also weighed in on China’s decision to block the broadcast of NBA games after a tweet from Houston’s General Manager Daryl Morey showed support for pro-democracy demonstrators in Hong Kong.
“It’s utterly ridiculous for the Chinese government to ban NBA games nationwide because of a deleted tweet from a Houston Rockets employee,” he said.
Yang says his followers go beyond his viral videos. They are voters.
He does not believe he is a longshot candidate.
“We’re getting incredible support in New Hampshire, Iowa, and other early states,” he said. “You’re going to see a surprise come February.”
Yang is building up his New Hampshire organization and after this campaign swing, he will take the debate stage with 11 other Democrats on Tuesday.
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