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Comedian Dave Chappelle has been stumping for 2020 Democratic presidential candidate Andrew Yang in Iowa. Chappelle recently spoke to the media about why he supports the businessman’s presidential run, and a large reason for that is Yang’s promised “Freedom Dividend” of $1,000 a month which Chappelle thinks will help the poorer communities.
“The wealth disparity between me and my neighbors is immense. It’s heartbreaking,” he said, according to the Des Moines Register. “And if you know a third of the people up the street can’t buy groceries, then you start to feel an imperative concern. It’s not the kind of thing I could just see and hope for the best, I should probably say something.”
Chappelle also believes Yang has the kind of ideas that will bring people together rather than alienate certain demographics and blocks of voters.
“I don’t look at Trump supporters as my enemy at all,” Chappelle told the media, as transcribed by Complex. “I understand why people voted for Trump, I understand people are desperate. And I think that Andrew is right you run against the reasons that Trump got elected. I got friends on both sides of the political aisle, I got fans on both sides of the political aisle. A lot of people say professionally it’s not wise to support any candidate, but this idea is so good, that I think it should exist.
“And I think the fountainhead of many of the good ideas on the table this year are coming from a single source — Andrew Yang. And for some reason, no one’s paying attention. This guy is the origin of a platform that really does address where I think the country needs to go.”
After campaigning for Yang in Iowa, the comedian is set to join him on the road in South Carolina — another key early-voting state.
Currently, Yang sits in sixth-place in Iowa with just 3.3 percent of support among potential caucusgoers, according to the Real Clear Politics Average. In South Carolina, Yang is in seventh-place with just 2.7 percent support. He has work to do but will hope Chappelle can be a big help.
