Former 2020 Democratic hopeful Andrew Yang had been a paid CNN commentator for only a few weeks before deciding that their Democratic primary coverage of the first Mini-Super Tuesday was the right time for him to endorse former Vice President Joe Biden live on-air.
Yang was teed up by host Anderson Cooper, who noted that Yang had spent a lot of time writing stuff down. “I believe that Joe Biden will be the Democratic nominee. And I’ve always said I’m going to support whoever the nominee is. So, I hereby am endorsing Joe Biden to be not just the nominee for the Democratic Party, but the next president of the United States,” Yang immediately responded.
In an appeal to those still not in the Biden camp, Yang reminded viewers that he was a Sanders supporter in 2016:
And I say this having supported Bernie Sanders in 2016. Bernie was an inspiration for me, inspired my run. But the math says Joe is our prohibitive nominee. We need to bring the party together. We need to start working on defeating Donald Trump in the fall. I've had many personal conversations with Joe about the impact of the fourth industrial revolution on the middle class. I believe that he's the right man for the job to help us not just defeat Donald Trump, but govern the country in the years ahead.
In response, Cooper and chief political analyst Gloria Borger asked that Yang make the case for Biden to his fellow Bernie Bros. “His heart is in the right place. He's a really, really patriotic public servant, decent man. He wants to do right by the American people. To me, a lot of it’s about getting real solutions in place that more and more Americans feel like they will actually improve their day-to-day lives,” Yang said.
As a follow-up, Cooper wanted to know if Yang had ever spoken with Biden previously about an endorsement. “I have. Joe called me last week. You know, we had a really great conversation. And it was hard to say no to Joe at that time,” he explained.
He added: “So, I wanted to let the democratic process play out. And I believe it has. At this point can you see very clearly that Biden is building a delegate lead that is going to grow in the days ahead. And so, we need to come together as a party, starting tonight.”
Before allowing the rest of the panel to continue the discussion, Cooper again requested that Yang make an appeal for Sanders voters to support Biden:
COOPER: What you would say to Sanders supporters, who obviously are going to be unhappy if Sanders drops out of the race? For you as it is-- as Senator Sanders said himself, defeating Donald Trump trumps from all of that?
YANG: I would say I get it. And that I believe that Joe gets it too. Even though you might not feel that in the same way. Like, I get the frustration. I get the desire for a revolution. I get the fact that it seems like our institutions are failing us right and left. I get all of that. It's why I ran. But we have to defeat Donald Trump in order to make progress on the climate, on any of these problems in a bigger way and you have to believe that Bernie and Elizabeth and I and other people will have a voice in the Biden administration to start solving these problems.
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The transcript is below, click "expand" to read:
CNN’s America’s Choice 2020: Super Tuesday
March 11, 2020
9:36:23 p.m. EasternANDERSON COOPER: Andrew Yang, I see you've been writing on your paper a lot. We haven't heard from you in a little bit. You haven't -- Where do you see the race right now? What do you see this going for Joe Biden?
ANDREW YANG: I believe that Joe Biden will be the Democratic nominee. And I’ve always said I’m going to support whoever the nominee is. So, I hereby am endorsing Joe Biden to be not just the nominee for the Democratic Party, but the next president of the United States.
And I say this having supported Bernie Sanders in 2016. Bernie was an inspiration for me, inspired my run. But the math says Joe is our prohibitive nominee. We need to bring the party together. We need to start working on defeating Donald Trump in the fall. I've had many personal conversations with Joe about the impact of the fourth industrial revolution on the middle class. I believe that he's the right man for the job to help us not just defeat Donald Trump, but govern the country in the years ahead.
GLORIA BORGER: And the question is, I guess I have for you is what does he need to do to bring the Yang Gang and the Sanders folks to him?
COOPER: And what do you say to your supporters who might support Sanders?
YANG: What I'd say is that we need to start doing the work of improving Americans lives on the ground because too many Americans have seen their way of life disintegrate over the last number of years and Bernie’s been calling out those problems and tabbing into the frustration in the right way.
And so, if Joe says this is going to be return to business as usual, he’s in danger of losing many of the young people that came out for Bernie, that supported my campaign. He has to show that, look, we know that this economy is not working for many, many Americans, millions of Americans who feel left behind. And you can't just say we're going to swing the pendulum back to the Obama-Biden years. We have to actually start doing the work that activated people to vote for Donald Trump, that activated people to get out for Bernie Sanders.
I believe Joe is open to that message. His heart is in the right place. He's a really, really patriotic public servant, decent man. He wants to do right by the American people. To me, a lot of it’s about getting real solutions in place that more and more Americans feel like they will actually improve their day-to-day lives.
[Crosstalk]
COOPER; Have you had conversations with the Biden campaign about an endorsement?
YANG: I have. Joe called me last week. You know, we had a really great conversation. And it was hard to say no to Joe at that time. But I have such admiration and respect for Bernie and what he meant to so many Americans. I think Bernie has called out the real problems in a very powerful and necessary way.
So, I wanted to let the democratic process play out. And I believe it has. At this point can you see very clearly that Biden is building a delegate lead that is going to grow in the days ahead. And so, we need to come together as a party starting tonight.
COOPER: What you would say to Sanders supporters, who obviously are going to be unhappy if Sanders drops out of the race? For you as it is-- as Senator Sanders said himself, defeating Donald Trump trumps from all of that?
YANG: I would say I get it. And that I believe that Joe gets it too. Even though you might not feel that in the same way. Like, I get the frustration. I get the desire for a revolution. I get the fact that it seems like our institutions are failing us right and left. I get all of that. It's why I ran. But we have to defeat Donald Trump in order to make progress on the climate, on any of these problems in a bigger way and you have to believe that Bernie and Elizabeth and I and other people will have a voice in the Biden administration to start solving these problems.
(…)
