Andrew Yang Says A U.S. Recession Before 2020 Election Would Be ‘Good’ For His Campaign

Tech entrepreneur and 2020 Democratic presidential candidate Andrew Yang said on Friday during a campaign stop that if the U.S. were to experience a recession before the 2020 election, it would be “good” for his presidential campaign.

According to Fox News, Yang made the remark while speaking at a New Hampshire campaign event, but quickly backtracked during an interview with the network, acknowledging that a downturn in the U.S. economy would have a negative effect on millions of Americans.

“I would never wish for the economy to have a downturn because I know that lives get disrupted and in some cases even lost when there’s an economic downturn,” Yang said.

Yang’s prediction that an economic downturn would benefit his election chances came as a member of the audience asked the candidate how exactly a recession or negative change in the U.S. economy would affect his presidential campaign moving forward.

“I think that if we do have a downturn over this next period, it would likely be good for my campaign because I’m so focused on this set of issues, and I think it would actually increase the appeal and appetite for some of the measures I’m describing,” Yang replied.

Not long ago, several indicators appeared in U.S. economic data that pointed to the possibility of a looming recession, but President Donald Trump and his administration worked overtime to dispel fears that anything bad will happen to the economy while he’s in office.

As previously reported by The Inquisitr, Trump’s approval rating took a five-point dive from a previous poll after fears of a possible recession were widely reported in the mainstream media. News of a potential bad break in an otherwise healthy economy were sparked by the intensity of Trump’s negotiations with China over trade issues.

As Fox News reported, there haven’t been any other Democratic candidates who have echoed Yang’s outlook on how a recession would possibly benefit his campaign.

While Yang may be considered a darkhorse for the 2020 Democratic nomination, campaign manager Zach Graumann pointed out that his candidate’s momentum can’t be ignored, according to The Inquisitr. That’s especially notable on the heels of Yang hitting a record high of eight percent in a recent Emerson poll, taking him squarely into fourth place behind former vice president Joe Biden, Sen. Elizabeth Warren, and Sen. Bernie Sanders.

Graumann made it crystal clear that Yang will continue his forward momentum and aims to prove his doubters wrong.

“What’s more unrealistic — going from anonymous to 4th in the polls, or going from 4th to 1st? People keep telling me we have no shot. Sounds great. We will keep proving you wrong,” the campaign manager said.

Yang’s cornerstone campaign issue is that of proposing a Universal Basic Income that would give American adults a $1,000 per month check with which they can do whatever they want. Yang believes the extra money will help Americans pay bills, start businesses and offset the projected job loss due to automation in entry-level industries.