DETROIT, MI -- Democratic presidential candidate Andrew Yang appeared in Detroit on Friday, touting part of his platform that would give every American $1,000 per month.

One of his cornerstone policies -- and he’s released more than 70 -- is what he calls the universal basic income. It would give every American $1,000 per month, paying for it in part with a “value-added tax” on goods and services businesses produce.

“The first time you heard that, I know what you thought. You thought like ‘ha-ha, that’s a bit of a gimmick, there’s an Asian man running for president who wants to give everyone $1,000,’” Yang said.

But he is serious about the plan, he said. It’s an idea that’s come up periodically, and one state, Alaska, even does something similar by distributing money tied to oil funds, he said. He said we’ve already seen automation in areas like manufacturing.

“This town very much is ground zero for the automation of jobs,” Yang told a Detroit crowd of around 300.

But as automation increases in areas like retail and transportation, he said, more and more jobs are at risk of being replaced by technology and automation. The $1,000 per month basic income would help compensate for that technological shift, he said.

“We’re going to call this the ‘tech check,’ and all of America’s going to love it,” Yang said.

Yang’s supporters call themselves the “Yang Gang.” The crowd in Detroit skewed young, diverse and energetic.

Jon Wylie, 24, of Detroit, said with so many people in the race he’s trying to get out and see as many presidential candidates as possible. He saw the breadth of Yang’s policy proposals, including the universal basic income he’s proposing.

“I see its usefulness because of the amount of low-paying jobs with no room for advancement,” Wylie said.

As a law student, he isn’t personally worried about being replaced by automation.

Throughout his speech, Yang was open about not being a traditional candidate. His work experience is in being an entrepreneur, not being a politician.

He is unabashed about pursuing data-driven policies, and his supporters waved campaign signs that simply read “MATH.” He promised to be the first president to bring a PowerPoint presentation to the State of the Union, to which supporters chanted “POWER POINT, POWER POINT.”

He sought to differentiate himself in a field full of Democratic candidates looking to unseat President Donald Trump.

“The opposite of Donald Trump is an Asian man who likes math,” he said.

Yang is one of a slew of Democratic presidential candidates visiting Michigan lately. Thursday, U.S. Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., visited. On Friday Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., visited Detroit. On Saturday U.S. Rep. Tim Ryan, D-Ohio, visited Michigan. Sunday, Sen. Kamala Harris, D-Calif., will address the Detroit chapter of the NAACP and will continue her campaigning by addressing Michigan teachers Monday.