Andrew Yang: Democrats must ask ‘hard questions’ rather than focus on the president

Democratic presidential hopeful Andrew Yang on Sunday warned that the party needs to stop focusing on President Trump and more on the issues that got him elected.

During an interview on ABC’s “This Week,” Mr. Yang said the Democrats running in the 2020 presidential election haven’t asked any “hard questions” about how to sway over the voters who the president won in 2016, a victory rooted in jobs and the economy.

“The Democratic Party, unfortunately, is acting like Donald Trump is the cause of all of our problems. He’s a symptom, and we need to cure the underlying disease,” the technology entrepreneur said.

He argued that the rise of automation is threatening not just blue-collar jobs in Midwestern swing states, but also middle-class jobs across the country in retail and other service industries.

“We have to have a way forward that works for all Americans independent of your political affiliation, so that’s what we mean by not left, not right, forward. These problems are technological and apply to us all,” he said.

One of his signature policy ideas is to give every American, no questions asked and regardless of income, $1,000 every month — a plan he dubbed the “Freedom Dividend.”

On Sunday, Mr. Yang explained he plans on raising the funds for the program by taxing “every Amazon sale, every Google search, every Facebook ad.”

Unlike others in the primary, Mr. Yang has cautioned about going too far with the impeachment of Mr. Trump.

As many of his fellow candidates brace for a Senate trial that is already dragging out, Mr. Yang said Americans see this as a “ballgame.” He supports the proceedings but said they need to be wrapped up “quickly and expeditiously.”

“My focus is on solving the problems that got Donald Trump elected and moving the country forward,” he said.

The businessman has remained in the race, even as many politicians, such as early front-runner Sen. Kamala Harris, have dropped out.

Mr. Yang is in sixth place in the RealClearPolitics average of national polls, with 3.6% supporting him, and is well behind front-runners former Vice President Joseph R. Biden, Sen. Bernard Sanders of Vermont and Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts.