Andrew Yang sparks Twitter uproar with pro-bodega video

New York City mayoral candidate Andrew Yang sparked an uproar Friday on Twitter after posting a video of himself throwing support behind “bodegas,” with many claiming the store he was walking through was not, in fact, a bodega. 

A “bodega,” derived from the Spanish word for a wine shop or warehouse, is commonly used in New York to refer to independently owned family businesses, primarily in Spanish-speaking neighborhoods. 

In Yang’s video posted to Twitter Friday morning, the former 2020 Democratic presidential candidate appears walking through a store grabbing bottles of green tea and bananas, before turning to the camera and saying, “New York City relies upon its 14,000 bodegas so much. I love bodegas.” 

“We’ve got to make sure that they continue to stay open and do their thing,” he says while paying for his items. “Can you imagine a New York City without bodegas? I can’t imagine it, let’s not have to.” 

New York City loves its bodegas! The 14,000 bodegas are vital to our city – let’s support them and keep them open. ❤️ pic.twitter.com/pGb24IerGz

— Andrew Yang (@AndrewYang) January 15, 2021

While it was not clear which store was featured in the video and where it was located, several Twitter users were quick to argue that the location was a regular convenience store, mocking Yang for allegedly not knowing which businesses are bodegas. 

Some Twitter users claimed that the video showed Yang was out of touch with the communities that have bodegas, with many posting memes and gifs to jokingly display their discontent. 

lol that’s not a bodega. https://t.co/dLgEgxYKZK

— ⚖️Imani ‘I Smell Sex and’ Gandy ⚖️ (@AngryBlackLady) January 15, 2021

Andrew Yang is just the US tech bro version of Rory Stewart https://t.co/LqfJryk6uy

— Francis Whittaker (@frittaker) January 15, 2021

Metrocard swipes. Bodegas. Maybe next we’ll get a tour of Andrew Yang’s 2BR in Manhattan. pic.twitter.com/qkTfLiSBdp

— Kristy Puchko (@KristyPuchko) January 15, 2021

Andrew Yang is really building a campaign on:

1. Bodegas
2. Fake money
3. TikTok hype houses pic.twitter.com/f41maKJaPQ

— The Pigeon Pageant (@yosoymichael) January 15, 2021

Yang’s team did not immediately respond to The Hill’s request for comment on the context for the video, though Yang later responded to criticism in a follow-up tweet, writing “Haha I love New York,” along with a smiling face emoji. 

The video came just two days after Yang officially announced his run for New York City mayor, saying that he hopes to help aid residents negatively impacted by the coronavirus-fueled economic crisis in the city. 

Yang on his campaign website proposed “the largest basic income program in history,” and called for an investment in a “human-centered economy.” He also listed “fact-based governance” and an accessible health care system as priorities for his campaign.

“We need to do all this while enacting accountable and smart policing, building affordable housing, closing our city’s digital divide, modernizing transportation and city services, and more,” he added.

“Let’s fight for a future New York City that we can be proud of — together,” he said in a Twitter post announcing his campaign.