#LetYangSpeakDNC trends after 2020 candidate is left off initial speakers list
Andrew Yang wasn’t included on the initial list of Democratic National Convention speakers released Tuesday, and he — and some Twitter users — had something to say about it.
The list of speakers who will be featured during the four-night convention next week includes former President Barack Obama, former first lady Michelle Obama, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and other 2020 candidates, including Sen. Bernie Sanders, Mayor Pete Buttigieg and Sen. Amy Klobuchar.
But Yang, a former presidential hopeful, seemed to feel snubbed.
“I’ve got to be honest, I kind of expected to speak,” Yang tweeted Tuesday morning.
Others on Twitter weren’t happy about his exclusion either.
U.S. Rep. Ted Lieu from California tweeted about Yang’s exclusion from the list, calling the “gross underrepresentation of Asian American speakers” at the convention a “slap in the face.”
By Tuesday afternoon, #LetYangSpeakDNC was trending on Twitter as his supporters and others pushed for him to be included.
It’s possible Yang could still be added to the list, as the Democratic National Convention Committee said in a release Tuesday that additional speakers “will be announced in the coming days.”
Yang later took a guess on Twitter about why he wasn’t initially included.
The entrepreneur supported universal basic income in his platform, and in March he endorsed Joe Biden live on CNN after dropping from the race in February.
The convention will be held Aug. 17-20 from 9 to 11 p.m.
Yang on Tuesday tweeted he was thankful for the support.
