- Andrew Yang decided to forgo wearing a tie to night two of the first Democratic presidential primary debates.
- NBC anchor Brian Williams seemed shocked.
- The entrepreneur is pushing for a universal basic income.
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Andrew Yang stood out from the pack at Thursday night's Democratic presidential primary debate by eschewing a tie onstage.
NBC anchor Brian Williams seemed shocked by the fact that Yang decided to wear a more casual outfit to the debate.
"Now Yang is blazing new ground here. No tie," he said, when the candidates first walked out onto the stage at the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts in Miami.
Yang, third from left, stood out from the pack of candidates for not wearing a tie.
A few minutes later, Williams commented to panelist Eugene Robinson and asked him: "Do you look at Mr. Yang and say, 'Would it kill you to throw on a tie?'"
Robinson, a newspaper columnist, defended Yang.
"I think he should go for it ... he's differentiating himself," Robinson said.
Read more: Andrew Yang could be the wild card at the first 2020 Democratic debate
The entrepreneur wasn't completely casual though, pairing his navy suit with a light-blue shirt, dress shoes and an American flag lapel pin.
One of the biggest issues that Yang, 44, is pushing for is a universal basic income that would insure all Americans receive a livable wage.
Yang's outfit also became a hot topic on Twitter:
Sartorial update: once we pass universal basic income, @AndrewYang can purchase a tie
- Preet Bharara (@PreetBharara) June 28, 2019.@AndrewYang is rocketing to the top of my list by not wearing a tie. Talk about structural change.
- Dan Pfeiffer (@danpfeiffer) June 28, 2019I turned on MSNBC and Brian Williams is legitimately mad that Andrew Yang isn't wearing a tie. This is the level of analysis from mainstream media. #DemDebate
- Secular Talk (@KyleKulinski) June 28, 2019