Gage Miskimen | The Des Moines Register

Des Moines Register

Friday wasn't Andrew Yang's first visit to the Iowa State Fair.

The former tech executive stopped last year and spoke at the Des Moines Register Political Soapbox to tout his plan for a "freedom dividend" of $1,000 a month for every American over 18.

Yang said it felt great to be back in Iowa.

"The power in Iowa is real. You're spoiled, having candidates come to your living room. No one in Washington will do anything," Yang said. "It's a town of followers … this (Iowa) is the ideal place to create a wave and crash it down on D.C.'s heads."

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His push for his freedom dividend continued Friday in front of an energetic crowd. Yang treated the stage like a classroom, asking questions and waiting for the crowd to shout one-word answers.

"Where would the $1,000 a month go?" Yang asked the crowd.

"Mostly here," some attendees shouted back.

"Yes, most of the money would stay right here in your communities," Yang answered. "Some would go up to Amazon and the gang, you have to buy a toaster or something. But most would stay here in Iowa."

►Soapbox season: Complete coverage of every presidential candidate's appearance at the 2019 Iowa State Fair

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► More on his plan: Yang wants to give an Iowan $12,000 over the next year to demonstrate the value of his policy plans

He compared the U.S. to a large company.

"We are the shareowners of this country," Yang said. "So we can give some back."

Yang touched on his usual campaign topics, including the future of automated jobs and how his "friends in Silicon Valley" are creating automated vehicles.

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"What's that going to mean for 3.5 million Americans that drive trucks for a living?" Yang asked. "These are the real problems of our time."

He said he thinks the country is entering a "fourth industrial revolution."

"When was the last time you heard a politician say, 'fourth industrial revolution?' And I'm barely a politician." he said.

Yang, who recently qualified for September's debates in Houston, Texas, said the campaign raised $1 million days after last month's debates.

After he stepped off the stage, Yang took questions from reporters. He was asked if he thinks of President Donald Trump as a white supremacist.

"Based on his words and actions, yes, he is a white supremacist," Yang said.

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Register Soapbox: Photos from the 2019 Des Moines Register Soapbox

He also said that a high GDP doesn't matter if the wellness of communities isn't there.

"GDP is a record high, but you know what else is record high?" Yang asked the crowd. "Anxiety, suicides, drug overdoses. What good is GDP if our communities are falling apart?"

Yang supporter Bing Zhang came from Missouri to see the candidate. "He anticipates future problems like nobody else," he said of Yang. "Nobody else thinks like that."

Gage Miskimen is a news and politics reporter for the Register. Reach him at gmiskimen@dmreg.com or 515-284-8234. Follow him on Twitter @gagemisky

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