Andrew Yang isn’t taking it easy on the sitting president. The 51-year-old political figure and Forward Party founder is launching into the world of reality television with Nation’s Dumbest, Fox’s new celebrity game show that flips the traditional competition format on its head — because winning is the last thing anyone wants. And he’s not shy about extending an invitation to Donald Trump.
In an exclusive interview, Yang suggested that Trump, 80, tune in to the upcoming series, which features a roster of celebrities including Ice-T, Dr. Drew Pinsky, Carmen Electra, Steve-O, Hilaria Baldwin, and JoJo Siwa. They’ll face off in a summer school-themed competition hosted by comedian Jack Whitehall, complete with pop quizzes, report cards, and recess challenges. Yang’s pitch to the current president was cheeky:“He does seem to love reality TV, so I hope he tunes in to see what real leadership looks like.”He even suggested Trump watch with his family, though he admits that’s probably not Trump’s style.
Yang’s competitive trash talk didn’t stop there. When asked if he’d be intimidated facing off against Trump on the show, Yang fired back with confidence:“Let’s just say he would not be the competition I’d be worried about. He’d probably be there for quite some time.”Translation: Yang thinks Trump would be eliminated early — a pointed jab wrapped in a laugh.
Beyond the joking, Yang took a broader swing at the nation’s political establishment. When asked about nominating lawmakers for season two of Nation’s Dumbest, he leaned into the critique:“I would recommend all of our nation’s leading political figures. I think that would be fun and fascinating. America deserves to know who’s in charge.”It’s a clever way of suggesting that transparency — even through comedy — might be exactly what the system needs.
As for Yang’s own performance on the show, he went in with the right mindset.“I thought if you come in saying you’re going to be right off the show, then you’re going to screw up,”he explained.“So I said to myself and my wife and my team, it’s an indeterminate length.”That’s the kind of measured confidence that transforms a game show appearance into something more: a reminder that even political figures can laugh at themselves — something the current climate could probably use more of.
Nation’s Dumbest debuts on Fox Wednesday, July 15, at 9 p.m. ET and streams the next day on Hulu.
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Local Lawton
Local Lawton is a contributor to LocalBeat, covering local news and community stories.