Democratic presidential candidate Andrew Yang did not mince words early Thursday morning while talking about MSNBC's treatment of him during Wednesday night's debate.
Yang visited a watch party after the MSNBC debate, where he called out the moderators for giving him less than seven minutes of speaking time.
"It felt like when the hell are they going to f—ing call on me?" Yang said, according to the Atlantic's Edward-Isaac Dovere. "The hypocrisy of MSNBC in a way just makes us stronger. I'm almost — almost grateful."
Yang, stopping by watch party: 'it felt great ... but then it felt like when the hell are they going to fucking call on me? The hypocrisy of MSNBC in a way just makes us stronger. I’m almost — almost grateful." pic.twitter.com/GakQHtICxv
— Edward-Isaac Dovere (@IsaacDovere) November 21, 2019
Moderators only gave Yang 6 minutes and 48 seconds of speaking time during the two-hour debate, which was approximately half the amount of time Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D., Mass.) was given to speak. Democratic frontrunners Pete Buttigieg and Joe Biden were also given almost 13 minutes each, according to the New York Times.
Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (D., Hawaii), who is also running for the Democratic nomination, came to Yang's defense on Twitter, saying, "So much for the promise of equal time for all candidates, @AndrewYang got half the time as the usual media favorites."
Yang received similar treatment during the first presidential debate in June, which was also hosted by MSNBC. He received less speaking time than any other candidate, and complained that his microphone was frequently off.
MSNBC's slights have extended beyond the debate stage. Yang has been repeatedly omitted from its coverage of campaign polls and fundraising. MSNBC apologized to Yang earlier this week after the network did not show his picture on a graphic with four other Democratic candidates who were tied at 3 percent in an Iowa poll.
MSNBC also failed to include Yang in a third-quarter fundraising graphic last month. Yang had more than $6 million in cash on hand, but was left off in favor of Sen. Cory Booker's (D., N.J.) $4.2 million. Yang has also criticized CNN for its coverage of his poll numbers, calling it "odd and confusing."