Democratic dark horse Andrew Yang spoke with Fox News’ Chris Wallace Sunday about the success of his outsider campaign, and it’s central policy proposal of a universal basic income (UBI) of $1,000 for every American to combat an economy that he believes is greatly shifting due to automation.
Wallace began by bringing up Yang’s position in the recent Fox News poll, in which he is tied for sixth place with Amy Klobuchar at 3 percent. The 71-year-old journalist pressed Yang on what he believes is the reason for his success compared to other career politicians, as well as how he plans to break into the top-tier,
In regards to the first question, Yang says Americans have “lost a lot of confidence in its politicians.”
“It’s one reason why I’m doing so well, I’m beating many sitting senators and governors,” he added.
According to the 44-year-old entrepreneur, the government is lagging in its ability to solve today’s problems, and he believes that Americans are keenly aware of this.
“And they see someone like me as someone who can help make that possible.”
In regards to making it into the top ranks alongside Joe Biden, Bernie Sanders, and Elizabeth Warren, Yang highlights that the race is still fluid and says he is hopeful that he will make the fall debates, as he has already met the donor requirements as well as three of the four qualifying polls.
YES. https://t.co/LHWdpFkDHO Chasing and responding to Trump’s tweets just helps Trump control the narrative. We need a new narrative.
— Andrew Yang????? (@AndrewYang) July 28, 2019
Later on in the interview, Wallace pressed Yang about his proposal for UBI — branded as the “Freedom Dividend” — and highlighted that it won’t provide people with the self-esteem and social interaction of a job. He asked Yang why he believes that it’s more than just a handout, and Yang responded by saying that Americans need to expand what they think of as work.
“My wife is at home with our two young boys, one of whom has autism. What is the market value of her work at right now? Zero,” he said. “And we know that’s the opposite of the truth. We know the work she’s doing is among the most challenging and vital work in our society. So we need to think bigger about what we mean by work.”
ABC News reports that Yang is set to appear in the Wednesday debate alongside Joe Biden, Kamala Harris, Tulsi Gabbard, Cory Booker, Michael Bennet, Julian Castro, Kirsten Gillibrand, Jay Inslee, and Bill de Blasio.
Per The Inquisitr , Yang recently made headlines when he took to Twitter to jokingly start a satirical feud with Bennet.
