Andrew Yang will not apologize for making Asian jokes, Politico reports. In fact, it seems there may be more to come.
“I’m Asian, so I love tests,” Yang said in an interview Wednesday with Politico.
He was responding to a question about the Democratic National Committee’s debate-qualifying thresholds. The presidential candidate said that the DNC’s rules have been “incredibly helpful” in giving him an idea of what to aim for in terms of donors and polling numbers.
According to Politico, Yang initially stopped himself before conceding he was about to tell an Asian joke. After “some laughter, including his own,” he made the quip about tests.
Yang received attention during the last Democratic presidential debate for commenting that since he was Asian, he knew many doctors. Some accused him of reinforcing harmful stereotypes and perpetuating the model minority myth, while others considered the joke in-group humor.
Responses are similarly mixed when it comes to the way Yang’s campaign plays up his affinity for math in official merchandise and rally one-liners.
Vox reports that Yang said he’s using these comments to “[poke] fun” at stereotypes and call for “Americans [to] reflect a little bit more on them.” But Yang told Politico he isn’t surprised by the lack of consensus.
“We’re a very diverse community, and if Asian Americans disagree with my response to a particular issue, or a joke I tell, that’s something I would expect and accept,” Yang said.
However, he stressed to Politico that he won’t be holding back.
“I don’t see any reason to dramatically change anything I’ve been doing to date,” Yang said. “And I think that the vast majority of the Asian Americans I encounter seem very excited about my campaign.”
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