Andrew Yang in June Democratic candidates debate in Miami FL

On Foreign Policy: Russia has been hacking our democracy for years

Sen. Michel BENNET (D-CO): The biggest threat to our national security right now is Russia, not China. When I see these kids [being separated from their families] at the border, I see my mom, because she was separated from her parents during the Holocaust in Poland. For Donald Trump to be doing what he's doing to children and families at the border, the president has turned the border of the United States into a symbol of nativist hostility when we should be represented by the Statue of Liberty. We need to make a change.

Andrew YANG: I just want to agree that I think Russia is our greatest geopolitical threat, because they have been hacking our democracy successfully and they've been laughing their asses off about it for the last couple of years. We should focus on that before we start worrying about other threats.

On Free Trade: We need to crack down, but tariffs & trade wars are wrong

The beneficiaries have not been American workers or people in China. It's been Southeast Asia and other producers that have then stepped into the void. We need to crack down on Chinese malfeasance in the trade relationship, but the tariffs and the trade war are the wrong way to go.

On Principles & Values: Let's build a forward coalition toward democracy

On Tax Reform: Value-added tax would generate $800B taxes & $700B GDP

YANG: You have trillion-dollar companies like Amazon paying literally zero in taxes. If we had a value-added tax at even half the European level, it would generate over $800 billion in new revenue--it would be the trickle-up economy. We would spend the money and it would circulate through our regional economies, creating millions of jobs. We'd save money on things like incarceration & homelessness services. Just the value gains from having a stronger, healthier, mentally healthier population would increase GDP by $700 billion.

Q: You are saying $1,000 a month for everyone over 18, but a VAT so you can spend that $1,000 on VAT?

YANG: You still would be increasing the buying power of the bottom 94% of Americans. You have to spend a lot of money for a mild value-added tax to eat up $12,000.