Andrew Yang is awaiting an apology from MSNBC over the channel’s coverage of his White House campaign, the Democratic presidential candidate said from his Twitter account Saturday.
In a series of tweets, Mr. Yang rattled off a list of complaints about MSNBC’s coverage of his 2020 campaign that he said caused him to decline a recent request from the network.
“Was asked to appear on @msnbc this weekend — and told them that I’d be happy to after they apologize on-air, discuss and include our campaign consistent with our polling, and allow surrogates from our campaign as they do other candidates’. They think we need them. We don’t,” Mr. Yang tweeted.
“They’ve omitted me from their graphics 12+ times, called me John Yang on air, and given me a fraction of the speaking time over 2 debates despite my polling higher than other candidates on stage. At some point you have to call it,” Mr. Yang continued. “The whole time we have gotten stronger. This is actually bad for MSNBC. It will only get worse after I make the next debates and keep rising in the polls. The people are smarter than MSNBC would like to think.”
Mr. Yang, a 44-year-old entrepreneur, was among 10 potential Democratic presidential nominees who participated in a primary debate co-hosted and aired by MSNBC on Wednesday. He did not receive a question until nearly a quarter into the debate and ultimately received less than seven minutes of air-time – less than any other candidate, and nearly half the amount given to Sen. Elizabeth Warren, a Massachusetts Democrat currently among the front-runners seeking the party’s nod.
MSNBC publicists did not immediately return messages seeking the channel’s reaction to Mr. Yang’s remarks.
The results of a nationwide Emerson poll of Democratic primary voters released Thursday ranked Mr. Yang fifth among fellow candidates, putting him behind former Vice President Joseph R. Biden, Sen. Bernard Sanders, Vermont independent, Ms. Warren and Mayor Pete Buttigieg of South Bend, Indiana, respectively.
• Andrew Blake can be reached at ablake@washingtontimes.com.
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