Dave Chappelle has always been an unorthodox figure. That's why his endorsement on 2020 presidential candidate Andrew Yang shouldn't come as too much of a surprise.
"If people listen to me, so be it, if they don't, so be it, but I know I'm doing my civic duty by just saying the thing I believe in," the comedian said in Iowa Tuesday, according to the Des Moines Register. "This is without irony or a punchline, I'm just telling you – this guy's got some great ideas, you should check it out."
Chappelle said that he became a member of the "Yang Gang," the term used to describe the candidate's supporters, after hearing about his debates and reading his book, The War on Normal People. But what really drew him in was Yang's universal basic income proposal, otherwise known as the "freedom dividend."
"The wealth disparity between me and my neighbors is immense. It's heartbreaking," he said, according to the Iowa news outlet. "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."
Yang, who also recently announced that Donald Glover joined the campaign as a creative consultant, welcomes Chappelle's support.
"It's not necessarily the norm for someone of Dave's stature as a celebrity to come and throw down with a political candidate or a campaign," the 2020 presidential candidate said. "But that just speaks to the kind of man Dave is, and I appreciate the hell out of him."
Chappelle further explained his support for Yang, telling reporters that he doesn't view Trump supporters as the "enemy," but rather they're desperate for someone with great ideas to come forward.
"I don't look at Trump supporters as my enemy at all," Chappelle said. "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," he continued. "This guy is the origin of a platform that really does address where I think the country needs to go."
The Iowa caucuses are on February 3.
