Andrew Yang weighed in on the dispute between fellow Democratic presidential hopefuls Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders on what was said during a private dinner.
“Watching this Elizabeth – Bernie dynamic is upsetting,” Yang, 45, said in a tweet Tuesday. “We have big problems to solve and both want to solve them. I’m sure that’s where they would want our attention focused too.”
Warren, a Massachusetts senator, accused her ideological-ally-turned-2020-rival on Monday of saying that a woman could not win the presidency. The alleged comment from Sanders, a Vermont senator, came during a private dinner in December 2018 just before each of them launched their presidential bids.
“Among the topics that came up was what would happen if Democrats nominated a female candidate. I thought a woman could win; he disagreed,” Warren, 70, said in a statement Monday, confirming earlier reports that cited aides familiar with the story rather than Warren herself.
Sanders, 78, has denied making the statement.
Warren and Sanders could be forced to confront the issue during the Democratic presidential debate in Iowa Tuesday night. Yang, an entrepreneur and advocate for a $1,000-per-month universal basic income, did not qualify for the debate and will not be on the stage.
Watching this Elizabeth – Bernie dynamic is upsetting. We have big problems to solve and both want to solve them. I’m sure that’s where they would want our attention focused too.
— Andrew Yang? (@AndrewYang) January 14, 2020
Hawaii Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, another Democratic presidential contender who did not qualify for the debate, also chimed in on the dispute between Warren and Sanders.
“I also met with @BernieSanders before announcing my candidacy. We had a nice one-on-one conversation and I informed him that I would be running for President,” Gabbard, 38, tweeted Monday night. “In that meeting, he showed me the greatest respect and encouragement, just as he always has.”
Gabbard resigned as vice chairwoman of the Democratic National Committee in 2016 in order to endorse Sanders’s presidential candidacy over former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.
