Presidential candidate Andrew Yang says he's ready to bounce back from a disappointing first debate performance
- Entrepreneur and Democratic 2020 presidential candidate Andrew Yang got the least speaking time of any of the candidates on stage in the first round of Democratic debates.
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Yang was asked only two questions individually in the two-hour debate, and spoke the least of any candidate, talking for just two minutes and 38 seconds.
- Yang's press secretary and political director Randy Jones told INSIDER the campaign "had no hard feelings" about the way NBC had conducted the debates, and were looking forward to the next round.
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"A bunch of career politicians interrupting and launching personal attacks on each other really isn't Andrew's style, that's Trump game," Jones said. "If Democrats try to play Trump's game, we're going to lose."
- Jones said the campaign hopes for Yang to be able to push other candidates to get on the record about whether they're open to supporting Yang's "Freedom Dividend" universal basic income plan to give every American adult $1,000 a month.
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Entrepreneur and Democratic 2020 presidential candidate Andrew Yang got the least speaking time of any of the candidates on stage in the first round of Democratic debates. But his campaign isn't particularly fazed by his debate debut, and his staff believes they can turn things around when Yang takes the stage next week.
In the June 27 debate, Yang — a first-time political candidate — ended up on stage with nine other candidates, including four of the frontrunners: former Vice President Joe Biden, Sen. Bernie Sanders, Sen. Kamala Harris, and Mayor Pete Buttigieg.
Despite running one of the most unique presidential campaigns and rolling out more policy proposals than any other candidate, Yang was only asked two questions individually in the two-hour debate. As a result, Yang spoke the least of any candidate, talking for just two minutes and 38 seconds.
While the moderators tried to keep things on track, the debate went off schedule, with Harris confronting Biden over his record on racial issues in a tense exchange which took up several minutes and overshadowed the other candidates.
In the immediate aftermath of the debate, Yang accused NBC of deliberately cutting his mic off, which the network has thoroughly denied.
Yang further explained himself in a July 8 appearance on ABC's "The View."
"I was only asked two questions over two hours, which is there for everyone to see, and so I just shared my experience with some supporters after the fact, but we're just thrilled we have another debate in July and in September," Yang said.
The DNC set much stricter requirements for candidates looking to compete in the next round of debates in September and October, requiring contenders to reach 2% in four DNC-sanctioned polls and obtain 130,000 unique donors, the latter of which Yang has achieved.
He has until August 29 to reach 2% in three more polls to qualify, according to Politico's tracker of Democratic primary polls. For candidates like Yang and former HUD Secretary Julián Castro who have met the donor but not polling requirements, a strong debate performance later this month could help give them the boost they need, like the one Harris received after her takedown of Biden.
When asked by co-host Meghan McCain how he'll make sure to get more than 2 minutes and 38 seconds of speaking time, Yang joked, "maybe I'll have a sign to hold up or something ... we're very confident we'll get more opportunities in the next debates."
"I really would have loved more questions and more air time, but I've got three more bites at the apple," Yang told the Miami Herald immediately after the debate, adding, "the American people just found out a little more about me tonight."
Next week, Yang will take the stage on July 31 in Detroit, Michigan and will debate alongside Biden and Harris again, as well as Sens. Cory Booker and Kirsten Gillibrand, former HUD Secretary Julián Castro, and Gov. Jay Inslee.
In a phone interview with INSIDER, Yang's press secretary and political director Randy Jones said the campaign "had no hard feelings" about the way NBC had conducted the debates, and were looking forward to the next round in July.
Consistent with his style and messaging throughout the campaign, Yang didn't attempt to talk over fellow Democrats or launch targeted shots at his fellow candidates.
"A bunch of career politicians interrupting and launching personal attacks on each other really isn't Andrew's style, that's Trump game," Jones said. "If Democrats try to play Trump's game, we're going to lose."
The next round of debates, which will take place on July 30 and 31 in Detroit, will be hosted by CNN and moderated by anchors Don Lemon, Jake Tapper, and Dana Bash.
Unlike the MSNBC-hosted debates, CNN has said that they will not ask candidates to raise their hands or give one-word answers to indicate their positions on questions.
Jones said he and the campaign were "looking forward" to the next round of debates, and were "confident" that CNN's new rule meant that Yang would be given more speaking time.
Yang's candidacy is best-known for his unique policy idea of giving every American a universal basic income of $1,000 a month, which he calls The Freedom Dividend, in order to help American workers affected by a changing economy moving towards automation.
"If we're only one on the stage willing to discuss UBI and take that step to show we can do this, it'll make people wonder why no one else is willing," Jones said.
While Jones did not weigh on on the ongoing debate over whether the DNC should host a separate debate devoted to climate issues, he said he expected to fine-tune Yang's answers on the topic.
In both the debate and a Business Insider Today town hall in April, Yang said he believed that a universal basic income would help solve climate change by "getting the boot off people's necks" so that they're no longer struggling financially could focus on climate change.
Read more: Climate activists said the first Democratic debates failed to address the scale of the 'crisis'
But in the rapid-fire setting of a debate, that answer didn't necessarily come across easily or make a strong impression. Jones said that Yang would adapt his answer to emphasize how UBI can benefit people affected by climate-induced pollution or natural disasters, and the other climate-related components of his platform, like a carbon dividend.
Aside from UBI, Jones told INSIDER that the Yang campaign is hoping to spark a discussion on the demise of the brick-and-mortar retail industry, and how the next president should address the rapidly changing state of the retail industry.
Jones said he hoped that Yang would get a chance to discuss both how UBI and his proposed American Mall Act will both help retail workers displaced by automation, and find new economically-revitalizing uses for large properties once occupied by malls, which are closing around the country at a rapid pace.
Sanders has also made advocating for retail workers an essential component of his campaign, publicly tangling with Wal-mart and the e-commerce giant Amazon on multiple occasions over their treatment of employees.
Overall, Jones didn't seem too fazed by the lack of speaking time Yang got in the first debate. After all, Yang's initially-obscure campaign came to national prominence not through traditional political channels like debates but by a loyal army of internet meme-makers who call themselves the "Yang Gang" and were the driving force behind Yang's surge in donations and ascent to national prominence in February and March.
Jones said that in addition to a stronger debate performance, the Yang team is expanding their grassroots, on-the-ground organizing efforts in early states like Iowa and New Hampshire, where Yang attended high school. As Jones puts it, the goal is to reach out to people who "the Democratic party has left behind."