Former 2020 Democratic presidential candidate Andrew Yang launched his candidacy for mayor of New York City this week, but got off to a rough start after being roasted on social media because of a newly released video.
“New York City depends a lot on its 14,000 wineries. I love wineries. We have to make sure they stay open and do what they do,” said Yang while buying a bunch of bananas and green tea.
“New York, support your local wineries. Can you imagine a New York city without wineries? I can’t imagine. We won’t need it.”
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But New Yorkers attacked, saying the store where Yang filmed the video was more like a deli or grocery store.
There is no clear definition of what a bodega is, but a comically person said on Twitter that “if you can open your arms and turn without literally knocking over two shelves full of expired washing powder, you are not in a cellar”.
The New York Times highlighted the importance of bodegas to the city during the April pandemic. He described them as “small, 24-hour disconnected corner stores, most often found in working-class neighborhoods,” which “are often extensions of many of his customers’ homes.”
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Yang, for his part, seemed to accept the criticism calmly, tweeting, “Haha, I love New York” with a smiley emoji.
He did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Friday.
It is the second controversy to emerge around Yang this week, after he told The New York Times in an interview that he spent more time at his weekend home in the state than at his Hell’s Kitchen apartment during the pandemic.
“We live in a two-bedroom apartment in Manhattan,” Yang told the Times. “And then, like, can you imagine trying to have two kids in a virtual school in a two-bedroom apartment and then trying to work alone?”
Since thousands of New Yorkers did just that during the pandemic, many were not satisfied.
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Despite the difficult start, Yang will continue to campaign and try to gain enough strength to win the Democratic primaries on June 22.
“We need to launch the largest basic income program in history, invest in a human-centered economy, return to fact-based governance and create an accessible health system,” explains Yang on his website.