Scott Morgan/Reuters
- Democratic presidential candidate Andrew Yang enjoyed plenty of fast food at the Iowa State Fair — but he also ripped into President Donald Trump over his physical fitness.
- Speaking to reporters on Saturday, Yang guessed that Trump would "pass out" after running a quarter of a mile, and could only beat Yang at being "a slob" and maybe at "an eating contest."
- "Like, if there was a hot-air balloon that was rising and you needed to try and keep it on the ground, he would be better than me at that? Because he is so fat," Yang concluded.
- Yang is running on a unique platform of making major reforms to the American economy, including giving every American adult a $1,000 per month universal basic income.
- Visit Business Insider’s homepage for more stories.
Like many other 2020 contenders, Democratic presidential candidate Andrew Yang enjoyed plenty of fast food at the Iowa State Fair — but he also ripped into President Donald Trump over his physical fitness.
Yang, an entrepreneur and first-time presidential candidate, went on an extended riff on Trump’s health after a Saturday gun violence prevention forum at the fair.
"I can’t be eating crap on the trail too often because I need to stay in presidential form," Yang explained, adding that "no one wants a president who can’t run a mile." He previously told The New York Times that KIND Bars are his go-to campaign trail snack.
"I don’t think Donald Trump can run a mile. Would you guys enjoy watching Donald Trump run a mile? That would be hysterical. What does that guy weigh? 280 or something … I say he like, passes out at the quarter-mile mark," Yang guessed, according to the Daily Mail, which noted that Trump weighed in at 243 pounds in February 2019.
While Yang’s staff tried to interject and get him back on track, he continued blasting Trump’s physical state, saying, "I challenge Donald Trump to any physical or mental feat under the sun. I mean, gosh, what could that guy beat me at, being a slob? Like, what could Donald Trump possibly be better than me at? An eating contest?"
Yang finally concluded that Trump would probably beat him at "something that involved trying to keep something on the ground and having really large body mass? Like, if there was a hot-air balloon that was rising and you needed to try and keep it on the ground, he would be better than me at that? Because he is so fat," the Daily Mail and the Atlantic reported.
He added that Trump, "might be able to beat me at golf although I’m told he cheats a lot so who knows what his true golf ability is."
Trump, whose real estate company owns several golf courses around the world, has been reported to frequently cheat while playing golf. In April, author Rick Reilly published a book titled "Commander in Cheat: How Golf Explains Trump" detailing Trump’s alleged cheating at the game.
Yang is running on a unique platform of making major reforms to the American economy, including giving every American adult a $1,000 per month universal basic income. He frequently jokes that as "an Asian man who likes math" he is the exact opposite of Trump.
Yang began his presidential campaign as an underdog but exploded into an Internet and meme sensation last spring. He participated in the first two Democratic debates in June and July, and has qualified for the next two rounds of debate in September and October.
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Source: Business Insider – gpanetta@businessinsider.com (Grace Panetta)