For the Penn State Altoona Distinguished Speaker Series, 2020 presidential primary candidate Andrew Yang spoke to students, faculty and staff Wednesday night via Zoom. Yang encouraged students to vote and get active in their local communities.
Yang said the United States has had terrible leadership amid the coronavirus pandemic. But he said the problems run deeper than a few individuals in power.
“We need our government to get its act together and to become much more invigorated and proactive than it’s been in our lifetimes," Yang said. "That’s why I ran for president—to try and activate that capacity in our government that has been dormant for decades.”
Though Yang did not win the Democratic nomination in 2020, he hopes to one day rewrite the rules of the economy with his universal basic income plan. Yang told the college students at the Zoom event that America needs their help.
“Your generation, I believe, is going to be the one that leads us to a better place," Yang said.
Yang said Democratic nominee Joe Biden’s administration has informally contacted him to be a part of a hypothetical cabinet.
“I want get in there and do work, because we just need to clean this up, and if I can be part of the janitorial crew then just get me my shovel,” Yang said.
Yang will be visiting Philadelphia on Sunday to campaign for Biden.
