Yang says presidential bid ‘messed with my head’

Former Democratic presidential candidate Andrew Yang described the psychological strain that came with the power of a being a presidential candidate in his upcoming book.

One excerpt, published by Politico, was titled “When I Ran for President, It Messed With My Head” and comes from Yang’s new book, “Forward: Notes on the Future of Our Democracy.” 

Yang, who also made a failed run for New York City mayor, said the power and attention-seeking that came with a presidential bid “should worry us.”

“People talk about running for office or running for president as an act of leadership. I’m not so sure about that,” Yang writes. “I actually think that in many respects running for president requires qualities that would make you a terrible leader.”

He also described the campaign process as “simply the seeking of attention,” comparing his experience running for office with his time as chief executive officer of a test prep company, Manhattan Prep.

“In national politics, it turns out, you’re not as much the CEO as you are yourself the product,” he writes in the excerpt.

“I was getting a crash course in how we treat the very powerful — and it was weird. But it was more than just a head rush. There are psychological consequences to being treated this way for months on end,” he added. 

Yang’s writing also cited a study from University of California, Berkeley’s Dacher Keltner regarding the influence of power. Keltner’s study found that power made people more impulsive, reckless and disinterested in the experiences of other people, the excerpt said. 

In addition to his comments on power, Yang’s book also reportedly announces that his new third party will be called “The Forward Party.”