>> SO TRUMP IS RUNNING WITH A YALE LAW SCHOOL GRAD WITH DEEP TIES TO SILICON VALLEY, AND WHO IS JUST 39 YEARS OLD. >> JOINING US LIVE NOW TO TALK ABOUT THAT CHOICE AND THE CONVENTION, FORMER DEMOCRATIC PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE AND FOUNDER UH- FOUNDING CO-CHAIR OF THE FORWARD PARTY, ANDREW YANG. ANDREW, WELCOME BACK TO THE BAY AREA. >> IT'S GREAT TO BE HERE. KRISTEN. THANKS FOR HAVING ME. >> I KNOW YOU'RE WATCHING THIS VERY CLOSELY. WHAT HAPPENED IN THE CONVENTION TODAY? WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT J.D. VANCE'S PICK AS A VICE PRESIDENTIAL RUNNING MATE? >> NO, IT'S A PICK THAT SOME SAW COMING. JD IS A VERY, VERY TALENTED FIGURE. I WILL SAY THAT JD UH- IN A TIME WHEN A LOT OF PEOPLE WERE TRYING TO REDUCE THE TEMPERATURE IN THE WAKE OF TRUMP'S SHOOTING, CAME OUT AND PUT THE RESPONSIBILITY ON DEMOCRATIC RHETORIC AND THE BIDEN CAMPAIGN, WHICH I THINK IS SOMETHING OF A TRADITIONAL ATTACK DOG ROLE THAT A RUNNING MATE MIGHT TAKE. BUT IT'S SOMETHING THAT, IN MY MIND, WAS REALLY COUNTERPRODUCTIVE TO THE MOMENT THE COUNTRY IS IN RIGHT NOW. >> DOES IT SAY ANYTHING TO YOU ABOUT THE DYNAMICS OF THE PRESIDENTIAL RACE, ESPECIALLY AFTER THE ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT THAT HE PICKED VANCE? >> WELL, I THINK IT'S A CONFIDENT PICK IN THE SENSE THAT IT'S NOT SOMEONE WHO TRIES TO DRAW IN MODERATES THE WAY A GLENN YOUNGKIN OR EVEN A NIKKI HALEY MIGHT HAVE. IT'S NOT SOMEONE WHO BRINGS WITH THEM A SWING STATE POPULATION, THOUGH. J.D. VANCE IS FROM OHIO, WHICH HAS SOME OVERLAP WITH MICHIGAN, WISCONSIN, PENNSYLVANIA IN TERMS OF THE NATURE OF THE ISSUES. BUT IT'S A CONFIDENT PICK. I THINK IT REALLY SIGNALS A BELIEF IN J.D. VANCE AS A CARRIER OF THE MESSAGE. >> SO DO YOU THINK ALSO THAT THE ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT CHANGED THE PRESIDENTIAL POLITICS DYNAMICS, THE RACE, EVERYTHING? HOW MUCH DID IT CHANGE? >> WELL, I THINK THE JD VANCE PICK WAS IN THE WORKS FOR A WHILE BECAUSE THAT STUFF TENDS TO BE DAYS IN THE MAKING. SO IT'S NOT LIKE IT AFFECTED THAT PARTICULAR DECISION. BUT PEOPLE BELIEVE INCLUDING IN DEMOCRATIC CIRCLES, THAT IT'S GOING TO STRENGTHEN TRUMP'S HAND BECAUSE THERE'S A NATURAL RALLY AROUND THE FLAG UH- TYPE IMPULSE. WHEN YOU HAVE AN EVENT LIKE THIS, I MEAN, I'VE BEEN DEEPLY SADDENED, AS I'M SURE MOST AMERICANS HAVE BEEN, AND THAT THIS DOES SIGNAL A RISE IN AN ERA OF POLITICAL VIOLENCE HERE IN THE US, WHICH HAS BEEN BUILDING FOR A LONG TIME. IF YOU LOOK AT THREATS ON MEMBERS OF CONGRESS, THREATS TOWARDS JUDGES. BUT NOW WE'VE REACHED A WHOLE NEW LEVEL IN TERMS OF HOW WE GET THERE. >> THAT'S LIKE A WHOLE NOTHER STORY. AND I KNOW YOU JUST WROTE A BLOG POST ON IT, WHICH I THINK PEOPLE SHOULD TAKE A LOOK AT. BUT FOR ALMOST A YEAR NOW, YOU'VE BEEN TRYING TO GET PEOPLE'S ATTENTION ON SOMETHING ELSE. AND THAT IS THE TOP OF THE DEMOCRATIC TICKET. AS YOU KNOW, EVEN BEFORE THIS ATTEMPT ON TRUMP'S LIFE, HE WAS LEADING IN MOST OF THE SWING STATES THAT BIDEN CARRIED IN 2020. YOU WARNED THAT THE DEMOCRATS REALLY NEED TO MAKE A CHANGE. SO HERE ARE A COUPLE CLIPS FROM YOUR PREVIOUS APPEARANCES HERE ON ABC SEVEN. >> I THINK THAT JOE BIDEN SHOULD STEP ASIDE AND MAKE WAY FOR A NEW GENERATION OF LEADERS, OR HAVE A REAL PRIMARY WITH DEBATES AND COMPETITION AND SAY, I'M WILLING TO DEBATE ALL COMERS. IT COULD BE DEAN, IT COULD BE GAVIN NEWSOM, IT COULD BE GRETCHEN WHITMER. THE POINT IS THAT THE DEMOCRATS AREN'T HAVING A HEALTHY PROCESS TO DETERMINE WHO THE STRONGEST NOMINEE WOULD BE. >> WHEN YOU SAID THOSE THINGS LAST SEPTEMBER AND JANUARY, I THINK WHAT IS THE WORD? WERE YOU SHUNNED? WERE YOU SHUSHED? WHAT DID ANYBODY LISTEN? >> WELL, MOST PEOPLE AGREED WITH ME. IT'S JUST THEY KEPT THEIR MOUTHS QUIET BECAUSE OF THE POLITICAL INCENTIVES THAT KEEP SO MUCH OF OUR POLITICAL CLASS FROM TELLING US THE TRUTH. AND THE TRUTH CAME OUT IN THE DEBATE STAGE, WHICH I'M GOING TO SUGGEST IS ABOUT SEVEN MONTHS LATER THAN YOU'D WANT IT TO. I MEAN, THERE WAS A DEMOCRATIC PRIMARY. YOU COULD HAVE HAD A VERY, VERY DIFFERENT LAY OF THE LAND. AND THIS IS STILL ON THE TABLE. I AM PART OF A GROUP OF PEOPLE THAT THINK THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY SHOULD UPGRADE FROM JOE BIDEN AS THE NOMINEE. IT'S TRUE NOW, ESPECIALLY BECAUSE YOU'RE LOOKING AT HOUSE RACES AROUND THE COUNTRY THAT COULD GET DECIDED BY THE TOP OF THE TICKET IF ANYONE WANTS TO SIGN A PETITION TO HAVE JOE STEP ASIDE, IT'S PASSED THE TORCH. BIDEN COMME THINK JOE'S DONE A LOT FOR THE COUNTRY, BUT THE BIGGEST THING HE CAN DO RIGHT NOW IS STEP ASIDE. AS THE DEMOCRATIC NOMINEE. >> AND YOU'VE ALWAYS SAID TO YOU PERSONALLY, HAVING TRUMP WIN A SECOND TERM WOULD BE CATASTROPHIC. I THINK, IN YOUR WORDS, OR SOMETHING TO THAT EFFECT. RIGHT. >> I SEE DONALD TRUMP AS AN ACCELERANT TO THE DETERIORATION OF MANY OF OUR INSTITUTIONS. AND I THINK THAT IF HE DOES RETURN TO THE OVAL OFFICE, THAT'S WHAT WE WILL SEE. AND IT DOES MAKE ME SAD, BECAUSE RIGHT NOW HE'S THE FAVORITE, IN LARGE PART BECAUSE THE DEMOCRATS ARE NOT FEELING, IN MY OPINION, THE STRONGEST CANDIDATE AGAINST HIM. >> SO YOU REALLY THINK IT'S NOT TOO LATE? I MEAN, EVEN WITH THE BOOST THAT TRUMP IS CURRENTLY GETTING FROM THE ATTEMPT ON HIS LIFE, WELL, YOU ALWAYS HAVE TO OPERATE TO MAXIMIZE YOUR PROBABILITY OF WINNING. >> AND THE FACT IS, EVEN A CLOSE RACE WOULD BE A VERY DIFFERENT PICTURE THAN A BLOWOUT LOSS IN TERMS OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES AND MAYBE THE SENATE, THOUGH I THINK THE SENATE IS PROBABLY GOING TO GO TO THE REPUBLICANS REGARDLESS. BUT THE HOUSE IS WINNABLE, OR AT LEAST IT WAS AND WOULD BE IF YOU HAD A STRONG DEMOCRATIC TICKET. IF YOU RUN WITH JOE, YOU'RE GOING TO SEE ALL THREE BRANCHES OF GOVERNMENT ESSENTIALLY GO TO TRUMP. >> ALL RIGHT. WELL, SO GETTING BACK TO THE HOW DO WE GET HERE AS A NATION. WHAT THE TEMPERATURE IS SO HOT AND SO POLARIZED. YOU WROTE A POLITICAL THRILLER CALLED THE LAST ELECTION. YOU EXPLORED A FRIGHTENING SCENARIO OF WHAT COULD HAPPEN IF THE POLARIZATION CONTINUES, DO YOU THINK I MEAN, THAT'S A HYPERBOLE, RIGHT? THIS IS NOT THE LAST ELECTION, IN YOUR OPINION. >> I THINK THERE'S A VERY HIGH STAKES ELECTION. IT'S ONE REASON WHY I'VE GONE SO HARD AT TRYING TO UPGRADE THE NATURE OF THE CANDIDATES IN IT, AND I'M VERY, VERY FRUSTRATED WITH THE DEMOCRATS WHO ARE SAYING, HEY, WAIT TILL 28, BECAUSE AS A COUNTRY, WE WILL HAVE FOUR YEARS OF ACCELERATING DECLINE OF VARIOUS, FORMS OF TRUST AND WE DESERVE BETTER. I AM NOT LOOKING FORWARD TO SAYING WE'RE JUST GOING TO BE ABLE TO TURN THE PAGE AT SOME POINT, BECAUSE THIS ENTIRE SYSTEM IS ERODING BEFORE OUR EYES. >> OKAY, SO HOW WOULD YOU FIX THIS? ANDREW >> THE WAY OUT IS FOR AMERICANS TO SAY, LOOK, THIS TWO SIDED MACHINE ISN'T WORKING. WHAT IT'S DOING IS IT'S INFLAMING AND AGGRAVATING US. AND YOU NEED A THIRD PARTY THAT'S UP THE MIDDLE, WHICH I'M THE CO-CHAIR OF. WE ARE THE THIRD BIGGEST POLITICAL PARTY IN THE COUNTRY BY RESOURCES, THOUGH THAT'S NOT SAYING AS MUCH AS I'D LIKE IT TO, BUT I'M JOINED BY FIGURES LIKE GOVERNOR CHRISTIE TODD WHITMAN OF NEW JERSEY, LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR KERRY HEALEY, WHO WAS MITT ROMNEY'S LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR. IF PEOPLE WANT TO CHECK THAT OUT, JUST GO TO FORD PARTY COM, BECAUSE THAT IS THE ONLY WAY OUT OF THIS MESS. KRISTEN THIS BLUE VERSUS RED IS HAS LED US TO THIS POINT, AND IT'S NOT GOING TO LEAD US WHERE WE WANT TO GO. >> ALL RIGHT. ANDREW YANG, CO-FOUNDER OF THE FORWARD PARTY, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR COMING ON
