Andrew Yang hosted a ceremony in Morningside Heights before launching his first in-person tour of the city as a candidate for New York City mayor.

Rep. Ritchie Torres joined Yang on stage at the start of the event to offer his endorsement. Torres added that he is also co-chair of the "Yang Gang" campaign.

Yang, a New York-based businessman, posted a video to Twitter Wednesday announcing his candidacy on social media— the source of much of his popularity for his presidential run. What remains to be seen is if the younger audience he attracted using his online presence will translate into votes in a crowded Democratic primary for mayor.

MORE: Andrew Yang officially announces run for mayor

Yang is running on creating a forum of universal basic income for New Yorkers, an idea he hopes will bring them to the polls. It is an idea he's become known for and that would ideally start by giving those living in what he calls "extreme poverty" about $2,000 a year.

Also at his announcement, Yang promised to create a People's Bank of New York City to sport full electric buses by 2030, to take back the subway and bus system from the state and manage it on a city level, and to work on criminal justice reform while also reducing crime.

Yang says recovering from the pandemic is at the top of his list. He is running on the idea that he's the best person to fix the economic issues the city is facing. However, Yang was under fire over the past few days for admitting he left his Manhattan apartment for his home upstate with his family during the height of the pandemic, causing many of his opponents to raise questions about his loyalties.