Andrew Yang is currently seeking the Democratic presidential nomination with a platform including a foray into a universal basic income. He’s developed a reputation as a candidate with big ideas, and he’s also drawn attention for sporting a lapel pin emblazoned with the word “MATH.” But a new video from The New Yorker explores a very different side of Yang — namely, how is he at coming up with punchlines?
In the video, Yang worked on coming up with captions for a series of cartoons — giving viewers a sense of what the candidate’s sense of humor might be like. Adding to the fun: several of the cartoons featured riffs on politics, including one of an angel giving a stump speech in the afterlife.
Yang is clearly game for the exercise — and does his best to stay on-message in a situation that doesn’t really lend itself to political messaging. As for whether voters and viewers will come away from this video thinking than Yang is an untapped comic genius awaiting his own standup special — well, that’s another story. His captions for the cartoons might not prompt hysterical laughter, but they did lead to more than a few genuine laughs. And Yang’s enthusiasm for the process is pretty infectious, even when his punchlines venture more into dad-joke territory.
If Yang’s presidential ambitions don’t work out, might he have a second act as a comedian? This is a good start, at the very least.
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