As seven Democratic candidates took the stage for the Democratic debate in Los Angeles, the first question was hardly a surprise: It had to do with President Donald Trump’s impeachment.
Moderator Judy Woodruff asked them why more Americans aren’t in favor of removing Trump from office, as polls show a near equal split on the question.
As other candidates offered variations on the need for Congress to hold Trump’s conduct in check, along with mixing in a few of their campaign talking points, Andrew Yang gave a different take.
He talked of the problem being with trust in the media, but he also said that Americans were confused with a kind of obsession about all things Trump.
“If you turn on cable news today, you would think he’s president because of some combination of Russia, racism, Facebook, Hillary Clinton and emails all mixed together. But Americans around the country know different.”
The question is especially relevant for Amy Klobuchar, Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren. They each would have to act as jurors in a Senate impeachment trial, a prospect that would keep them off the campaign trail for some period of time. And Tom Steyer was quick to point out that he started the group Need to Impeach two years ago.
Yang, however, warned that Democrats have to stop acting as if Trump is the source of all the problems.
“What we have to be is stopped being obsessed with impeachment, and instead digging in and solving the problem that got him there in the first place,” he said.
Yang’s answer may have been a way for him to stand out in the field, perhaps a bit like Tulsi Gabbard did in previous debates. But she did not qualify this time. On Wednesday, she voted “present” on impeachment.