As the federal government debates how to stimulate the economy during the COVID-19 coronavirus crisis, former 2020 candidate Andrew Yang is being praised for his leadership in pushing a Universal Basic Income (UBI).

During his campaign, Yang pushed the idea of a “Freedom Dividend” of $1,000 per month for all citizens over the age of eighteen.

Yang, who is now a CNN analyst, explained on the network that his team has been in touch with the White House:

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Andrew Yang's team has been in touch with the White House. Andrew Yang: "Our team reached out and said hey we'd love to be able to help, and they said well we'd love any resources you have in terms of studies as to what cash in people's hands can do." pic.twitter.com/4jgQ0muXOJ — Zach and Matt Show (@ZachandMattShow) March 17, 2020

“I’m pleased to see the White House adopt our vision of putting money directly into the hands of hard-work Americans,” Yang said in a statement. “I look forward to monitoring the developments of the White House as they consider methods of distribution, and both me and my team are eager to offer our support to ensure this process runs as smoothly as possible.”

“My hope is that these checks extend beyond this period of dire need in order to prepare us for any future crises and the continued transformation of our economy and our society,” he added.

On Tuesday, #YangWasRight trended nationwide on Twitter. Here’s some of what people were saying:

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Who’s the hottest man on the planet right now Yang Gang? #YangWasRight pic.twitter.com/bEAt7YXwGh — Thu Nguyen aka ThuYangGang 🧢 (@thatsmyThucents) March 17, 2020

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A fed cash injection was never going to work. Neither would a payroll tax holiday. The entire service industry shut down in a week. There is a massive drop in demand. Non-salaried workers are being laid off, but have bills to pay. A #UBIStimulus is the ONLY effective solution. — Max Berezin (@mberezin97) March 17, 2020

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https://twitter.com/TicTocTick/status/1239962945217421314

“I’m incredibly excited by the fact that our government seems like they’re on the cusp of doing the common sense thing to help people get through this coronavirus crisis by putting cash straight into a family’s hands,” Andrew Yang tells TIME https://t.co/VLyWoFwTCW — TIME (@TIME) March 17, 2020

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#YangGang in light of a bipartisan consensus forming around UBI, let’s trend #YangWasRight today to keep raising awareness. We’ve held onto this one for a while cuz it’s a bit petty, but now it’s just the damn truth. Let’s get this top 5! https://t.co/1WtsweFJ3M — #Yang2024 Regardless🧢🚀🍎 (@gang4610) March 17, 2020

We worked so hard for this. We dedicated our lives to this. So unfortunate that a global pandemic was the way to open eyes. Here's to a step in the right direction. #YangWasRight pic.twitter.com/rWs8WtFdBd — Joelle✨ (@plurellemaths) March 17, 2020

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I have no doubt that a stimulus in some form would be considered regardless, but we all agree the fact everyone has settled on 1000/month is basically entirely due to @AndrewYang, right? — John Iadarola #StayHome (@johniadarola) March 17, 2020

Yang also argued that a universal basic income would find bipartisan support. He was attacked from both sides, either as a “libertarian” or a “socialist.” Now, both Democrats and Republicans are calling for an emergency UBI. #YangWasRight — James Treakle 🧢🇺🇸 (@JamesTreakle) March 17, 2020

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Yang saw that means-testing was inefficient and a cruel barrier between the poor and their benefits. He was criticized as somehow being against social programs. Now his unconditional, universal basic income is key to Romney’s emergency bill. #YangWasRight — James Treakle 🧢🇺🇸 (@JamesTreakle) March 17, 2020

This is not UBI But this is the biggest trial UBI has had, and will be used as proof of efficacy for a permanent UBI This is a great first step forward for #UBI #YangWasRight — Peter 🧢🌈💰✌️ (@PDXorax) March 17, 2020

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Well, @AndrewYang may have lost the primary, but he won the era. — Charlotte Clymer 🏳️‍🌈 (@cmclymer) March 17, 2020

My statement on the discussed stimulus package. My team has been in touch with the White House and we are offering resources. pic.twitter.com/Bi58oq7Q9V — Andrew Yang🧢🇺🇸 (@AndrewYang) March 17, 2020