Democratic presidential candidate Andrew Yang was recently shown to have one of the most significant leads in a hypothetical matchup with Donald Trump, along with fellow candidates Bernie Sanders and Joe Biden. Per The Inquisitr , Yang often touts his support from former Trump voters and suggests that it’s due to his focus on helping people across the political spectrum deal with an economy that is evolving due to automation and pushing more Americans to the sidelines.
Fox News multimedia reporter Rob DiRienzo spoke to a former supporter of Trump on why he made the switch to Yang’s campaign. During the conversation, which was posted on Twitter , the man — a lifelong conservative that said he never considered voting for a Democrat — revealed that Yang’s suggestion that the loss of opportunity for working-class Americans is not immigrants but automation rang true.
“I’ve seen things in this country just get more and more divided no matter who’s in the White House, really. But then I heard this guy named Andrew Yang on the Joe Rogan podcast, and I was like ‘Wow, you know what, that actually makes sense.’ It makes sense to me that it’s not immigrants, it’s automation that’s taking jobs in America.”
Former Trump supporter who said he’s a lifelong conservative turned #YangGang , @BBoxReality : ”It makes sense to me that it’s not immigrants, it’s automation that’s taking jobs in America.” pic.twitter.com/8SvEvc5iXW
— Rob DiRienzo (@RobDiRienzo) September 17, 2019
Yang’s central proposal is a universal basic income (UBI) of $1,000 per month for every American adult over the age of 18 — or “capitalism that doesn’t start at zero,” as he often says.
As Forbes contributor Kevin Kruse pointed out, Yang approaches Trump in a way unique to the other Democratic candidates in that he doesn’t often attack the president’s character but rather his approach to dealing with the problems facing America, which Yang says he correctly identified.
“When you attack Trump directly, you are attacking the identity of people who voted for Trump,” Kruse writes. “And there is nothing we won’t do to preserve our identity.”
During Thursday’s debate, Yang revealed that he would be gifting ten families $1,000 per month for one year each to promote his campaign’s signature UBI, branded the “Freedom Dividend.” The Hill reports that Yang’s campaign said Monday that it has already received over 450,000 entries and more than $1 million in donations since the debate — already covering the cost of his unique giveaway.
Although Yang was a political unknown before his run for president, he is currently at 3 percent in the primary polls and tied for sixth place with Beto O’Rourke as of Monday. His unique approach to running his campaign — as well as his Twitter presence — has drawn attention from people from all walks of the political spectrum.
