‘Robots are the main threat to jobs’ – why this long-shot bid to become the first Asian-American president is raging against the machine
While the odds are against him, Andrew Yang says entering the race for the White House will allow him to highlight issues such as the threat to jobs from robots and radical plans for a universal basic income
The crowd of contenders seeking to unseat Donald Trump in 2020 includes one radical outsider who hopes to become the first Asian-American President of the United States.
Andrew Yang, a 43-year-old lawyer-turned-entrepreneur, was one of the first candidates to enter the Democratic race.
While the son of Taiwanese immigrants recognises that his candidacy is a long shot – especially against political heavy-hitters like Elizabeth Warren, Bernie Sanders or Joe Biden – he believes his candidacy will allow him to fly the flag not just for Asian-Americans but all those who are marginalised and excluded.
The New York native is a newcomer to the US political scene, and it shows.
Taking time out from more obvious campaign hotspots such as Iowa and New Hampshire, he spoke to the South China Morning Post during a visit to Hong Kong where he was attending various policy and investment talks.
His team of eight campaign staffers had accidentally double-booked him for two interviews, forcing him to dash between two of Hong Kong’s poshest hotels dressed in his blue suit with a “Yang 2020” sticker on his left shoulder.