Former Democratic presidential candidate and current CNN contributor Andrew Yang suddenly experienced tech issues on Saturday and did not respond when asked on CNN about a highly controversial remark that presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden made on Friday about the black community.
CNN played Biden’s remarks from Friday, which were widely deemed as racist, where he said during an interview on “The Breakfast Club”: “I tell you, if you have a problem figuring out whether you’re for me or Trump, then you ain’t black.”
CNN anchor Ana Cabrera asked Yang, who endorsed Biden for president in March while on CNN, “What’s your reaction?”
Yang then allegedly had technical difficulties, even though the video feed was still working, and did not respond to Cabrera.
CNN asks Andrew Yang about Joe Biden saying Black Americans who don't support him "ain't Black" and all the sudden Yang can't hear and he leaves the show pic.twitter.com/KI5ipsHYkF
— Kyle Martinsen – Text TRUMP to 88022 (@KyleMartinsen_) May 23, 2020
Yang did not make any remarks on Twitter about the question, but did retweet a video clip that Cabrera posted that showed a portion of their interview.
“We need to rewrite the rules of our economy from the ground up, this is the equivalent of a natural disaster and we all know who gets hurt the worst in a natural disaster. It’s people with lower levels of resources which overlaps with people of color and women.” @AndrewYang pic.twitter.com/4c7nMqCrq7
— Ana Cabrera (@AnaCabrera) May 23, 2020
Biden’s remarks were widely condemned throughout the media and by many notable public officials.
One of the most notable responses came from Fox News host Harris Faulkner, who said, “I’ve been fighting against this notion that you’re not black enough unless you think a certain way, or you vote a certain way, you speak a certain way, you do certain things. My whole life, I grew up military, pretty much neutral along the zone of can we all just get along no matter what we look like.”
“I have biracial daughters,” she continued. “This is more than just a little offensive; it is shortsighted; it is a blind spot for this former vice president. He should’ve gotten up immediately on whatever venue or microphone he had. I would’ve said it for him immediately right there on ‘The Breakfast Club.’ And say, ‘you know what, let me restate that.’”
Faulkner then read a statement from the Trump campaign senior adviser Katrina Pierson:
White liberal elitists have continuously dictated which black Americans are allowed to come to the table and have a voice. It is clear now more than ever, following these racist and dehumanizing remarks, that Joe Biden believes black men and women are incapable of being independent or free-thinking. He truly believes that he, a 77-year-old white man, should dictate how black people should behave. Biden has a history of racial condescension and today he once again proved what a growing number of black Americans and I have always known — Joe Biden does not deserve our votes.
Harris concluded by saying, “You don’t have to be any particular race to know when someone puts you down because you’re different.”
Paris Dennard, Senior Communications Advisor for Black Media Affairs for the Republican Party, said in a statement: “Joe Biden has a history of bigoted and racist remarks that he can no longer hide from in his basement quarantine. With the powerhouse political machine the RNC has built, we will be sure that every Black American knows the choice they face in November – a candidate with a failed record who has continuously taken our community for granted, or continued prosperity and opportunity under President Trump. 1.3 million Black Americans voted for President Trump in 2016, and more are coming in November.”
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