Yang lashes out at MSNBC
Andrew Yang thinks MSNBC has it out for him.
The entrepreneur-turned-presidential candidate has spent the better part of a week accusing the network of "systematic bias" against his campaign after he had the least amount of speaking time at last week's debate. And he kept up the drumbeat in an interview with POLITICO on Monday.
"MSNBC is trying to suppress and minimize my campaign because there are certain other candidates that they might favor," Yang said, declining to elaborate.
On Saturday, Yang campaign aides had a conference call with network officials to address his complaints about his speaking time at the debate and its overall coverage of him, according to sources with knowledge of the call. Yang spoke for just under seven minutes during the debate, the least of all 10 candidates, according to The Washington Post, which hosted the event with MSNBC.
Yang is in sixth place nationally in the primary, according to RealClearPolitics’ polling average. He's ahead of Sens. Cory Booker and Amy Klobuchar, Rep. Tulsi Gabbard and billionaire activist Tom Steyer, who all spoke more than Yang.
The dearth of speaking time for Yang last week was not an isolated case. An analysis by Business Insider concluded that Yang “has had the least amount of speaking time ... compared to how much we would expect him to speak given his polling numbers.”
Yang wasn’t directly asked a question until 32 minutes into the debate, and was asked only five overall. At the same time, Yang doesn’t often jump into the fray, limiting his exposure. Klobuchar, Steyer and Gabbard received the same number of direct questions but talked more.
A network source said Saturday's call was initiated by the network and that MSNBC offered a broad apology to the campaign while reiterating he has a standing invitation to come on shows.
MSNBC officials would not comment on the record about the call. Yang disputed the claims in a tweet saying, “MSNBC did NOT apologize to the campaign and did not initiate the call. Don’t let them spin it otherwise.”
Yang’s complaints go beyond debate speaking time. His supporters have been calling out MSNBC for months for not including Yang in debate and fundraising graphics shown on air. In September, the network referred to him in a chyron as “John Yang;” the show apologized on air and Twitter.
“I've been very patient. I think most people know that I'm not like a highly reactive guy," Yang said in the interview. "You have to call it like you see it.”
On Twitter over the weekend, Yang said he was “asked to appear on MSNBC this weekend,” but declined. He said he won’t go on the network unless it apologizes publicly and agrees to bring his campaign’s surrogates on air more often.
MSNBC has not commented publicly about Yang’s complaints or demands.
“We're just asking for fair and equitable treatment,” Yang said. “And after they make that commitment, then I'd be thrilled to go on air with them and talk to voters.”
Over the weekend #BoycottMSNBC trended nationally. Yang said while his supporters are free to do what they want, he’s not calling for a boycott of the network.
Still, he added, “MSNBC is going to look worse and worse and dumber and dumber if they let this drag on.”
