Former Democratic candidate Andrew Yang is joining CNN as a political commentator.
CNN announced on Wednesday that the 45-year-old businessman would be joining as one of the program’s featured commentators. Yang ended his political campaign for presidency last week, but that didn’t deter him from the political arena. In excitement, Yang tweeted the news, saying, “I’m excited to join CNN to help shed light on the election and the candidates’ experiences. Learned a lot these past months and am glad to contribute to the public discussion.”
Yang soared to popularity from a relatively unknown presidential candidate to a party favorite for his Freedom Dividend, a plan that would pay every American adult $1,000 a month of universal basic income. The initiative, he said, would help fix a variety of socioeconomic issues like poverty.
From crowd-surfing with his fans, singing in church choirs to performing the “Cupid Shuffle,” Yang quickly became a fave in the Democratic community. However, Yang won’t be the only former presidential candidate at CNN; he will also join 2016 GOP presidential candidates #RickSantorum and #JohnKasich.
For now, Yang will be sitting this election out, but he has hinted at a potential run in the future. Yang could also be a possible candidate for New York mayor, according to a statement from his team on Wednesday. “Andrew Yang and his bold vision for the country are not going anywhere,” said Yang’s campaign manager Zach Graumman.
