Associated Press
Republican presidential hopeful Vivek Ramaswamy was more than 40 minutes into a town hall in rural Iowa when a woman in the crowd posed a pointed question. Or perhaps it was a suggestion.
“I know you want to be President,” she said. “But would you consider being Donald Trump’s vice president?”
The query drew light laughter from attendees and a lengthy response from Ramaswamy. (The short answer: No.)
It also highlighted the central challenge facing the wealthy entrepreneur, who has risen from little-known newcomer to as high as third in some Republican primary polls since joining the race nearly six months ago. While voters are increasingly interested in Ramaswamy, it’s former President Trump who continues to be many conservatives’ favorite.
With the first Republican primary debate in just over a week and the leadoff Iowa caucus five months away, he is delicately working to convince more voters that he could be their nominee and — as much as he says he respects Trump — would be a better 2024 candidate and president.
“The debate will be important, but I think also just continuing on the trajectory we’ve been on,” Ramaswamy said after the town hall held in a cavernous welding company workshed in Vail, Iowa. He returns to Iowa on Saturday for the Iowa State Fair, a rite of passage for presidential candidates.
Ramaswamy described the months leading up to the first debate as “just the pre-season.”
“So we’re entering the regular season of this and I’m coming in with a running start,” he said. “That’s the way I look at it.”
He says his strategy heading into the debate in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, is “speak the truth,” pointing to a banner emblazoned with the word “TRUTH” that serves as his backdrop and has become a campaign theme. The word — in all capital letters and a font and that resembles Trump campaign signage — is emblazoned on placards, T-shirts and stickers.
Ramaswamy says he and others cannot trust the government because the government doesn’t tell the truth. It was what motivated him, he says, to travel to the courthouse where Trump was to appear on charges earlier this month to announce he is suing the Justice Department and seeking all records the department has with information about why Trump was indicted.
Though such a lawsuit is unlikely to be successful before any GOP primary votes are cast, it was a move that struck a balance between defending Trump and drawing positive attention to his own candidacy, at least among the Republican primary electorate.
“That’s what this campaign is already all about, speaking the hard truths, the truth that you might speak at the dinner table, but you don’t feel free to speak in public,” Ramaswamy told the Iowa audience. If he is elected, he said, people will speak those truths again, such as “God is real” and “reverse racism is racism.”
Having just turned 38, Ramaswamy is the youngest person to be a major Republican presidential candidate. Born in Ohio to immigrant parents from India, he earned a biology degree from Harvard University and then finished Yale Law School.
He made his fortune after starting a biotech company, last year founded an asset management firm and is the author of several books, including “Woke, Inc.” His books helped Ramaswamy gain exposure in conservative circles, including on Fox News, as a critic of “ESG,” or looking not just at profit in investments, but also at environmental, social and governance issues, such as a company’s policies on climate. He bemoans that the United States has become a place full of “victims,” and says the country has lost its purpose and its focus on faith, patriotism, hard work and family.
On the stump, Ramaswamy is able to wax on issues ranging from digital currency to his stance on Israel, the U.S. Constitution and the civil service rules regarding mass layoffs of federal employees — rules he says he understands better than any other candidate. He is proud of not needing a teleprompter, and his mix of policy specifics and smooth delivery has won over some voters.
“He’s a great orator, he has a keen intellect and a lot of knowledge,” said Margarite Goodenow, a retiree from Council Bluffs who said she is so far supporting Ramaswamy over Trump. She described the former president as “too toxic” — a position she held before he was indicted in multiple criminal cases — though Goodenow said she will support Trump if he is the nominee.
Ramaswamy says he can use his deep knowledge to accomplish what Trump couldn’t and his other rivals wouldn’t be able to — laying off 75% of the federal “bureaucracy” in his first term, including 50% in year one.
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Reprinted with permission of the Associated Press
17 comments
PeterH
August 12, 2023 at 6:03 pm
Every Republican Presidential candidate has vowed to ban abortion nationwide!
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My Take
August 12, 2023 at 7:34 pm
“laying off 75% of the federal “bureaucracy” in his first term, including 50% in year one.”
Gad!! Qute the loon.
My Take
August 12, 2023 at 9:22 pm
Will we still get mail if Ramenscummy gets in?
Impeach Biden
August 12, 2023 at 9:43 pm
He is a rising star. Who do you have? Newsom? Really? People and companies are fleeing Kalifornia in record numbers. What can he run on?
My Take
August 12, 2023 at 10:13 pm
You don’t need more than boring normal when your opposition are raving kooks.
Romanswampy obviously included.
Mike the man
August 13, 2023 at 3:11 am
People and companies are fleeing california ? Which companies are fleeing ? California has Hollywood (worlds leading entertainment industry) and Silicon Valley (world leading tech industry ) as well as 2nd largest US financial industry in San Francisco. California is home to most billionaires for a reason- they like it there and it’s a place for success unlike republicans areas like West Virginia or Alabama… places where incest is the talk of the town
Impeach Biden
August 13, 2023 at 6:29 am
Tesla, HP, Oracle, to name a few. Are you aware that Kalifornia lost a congressional seat due to the population loss there. How about the crime in Kalifornia? Walgreens and other stores closing due to the rampant theft. Kalifornia use to be a wonderful place to live. It’s a dump now. You should move there.
Dont Say FLA
August 13, 2023 at 12:40 pm
Not one word about California is this post, yet there goes IBS trying to derail again when IBS is not able to address anything reported in the post.
The post is about Vivek and reports claims that his campaign platform is all about honesty.
Despite claiming honesty, when Vivek was asked how a Presdient Vivek would handle a bill imposing a national abortion ban, he said he would not sign that bill into law, lying by omission of the fact that a bill automatically become law after 10 days if the President does not veto that bill.
Vivek made no claim about vetoing a nationwide abortion ban. That means he would definitely allow a nationwide abortion ban to be enacted into law, but in keeping his word, the bill would be enacted by default after 10 days of Presidential inaction with him not signing that bill into law, as promised, and yet, it would become law.
Vivek lies just like the rest of politicians. Vivek = Case nClosed. Any National abortion ban bill put onto President Vivek’s desk would in fact become law according to his claim that he would not sign the bill into law, while omitting anything about vetoing the bill.
Vivek would leave the bill to its own devices, which means it becomes law after ten days of him proclaiming he will never sign that bill into law. Because he does not have to sign it into law. That happens in all cases other than a Presidential veto.
Dont Say FLA
August 13, 2023 at 12:59 pm
He’s a carnival barker. He’s a really good carnival barker, but that’s all Vivek got. He lacks solutions, same as DeSantis, Trump, and other GOPs. All they have are grievances.
Impeach Biden
August 13, 2023 at 1:20 pm
Funny you take a shot at most of the Repub candidates. Your side has a senile old man running the country and his VP is as goofy as they get and really can’t speak and has done a piss poor job on the Border Crisis, but you don’t mention that. And then there is shiny tooth Newsom waiting in the wings. That dude has his nails done and can’t wait tho hear him defend the mess in Kalifornia.
Dont Say FLA
August 14, 2023 at 12:19 pm
IBS, it’s really not funny that the GOP provides its voters with candidates like these who all kiss up to the loser whose position they want while kicking down at everyone whose votes they need. This crowd of GOPs is uniquely terrible. It’s not funny at all. It’s sad. When the Democrats take everything in 2024 and then do whatever they want, maybe you’ll finally resconsider the quality of the GOP candidate pool that put the Democrats in charge of everything like the last time the US Government did anything useful in any way for its citizens: Obamacare. ‘
That said, here’s IBS trying to change the subject again. IBS wants to talk about California’s Governor, a person who is not even a Presidential candidate. Sheer genius switching of topics there, IBS. Say, why not go with your syndrome and suggest impeaching Biden? LOL @ IBS
Silly Wabbit
August 13, 2023 at 1:16 pm
He ass.
My Take
August 12, 2023 at 11:33 pm
I’d like to see a general occupation list or criteria for those whom he would lay off.
For example, USDA meat inspectors?
CDC MDs?
NASA engineers and scientists?
Who?
My Take
August 13, 2023 at 3:24 pm
To semiquote Hiaasen, “You could throwa mullèt net over any bus bench on Biscaýne Blvd. and recruit better” than deranged extremists Trump or DeSSantis. Or just plain extremist Ramenswampy.
Racist Repigs
August 14, 2023 at 9:58 am
Does anyone remember Bobby Jindal…well, you won’t remember this guy in 10 yrs either!
Dont Say FLA
August 14, 2023 at 12:13 pm
Yeah, the “pointed question” reported here isn’t the pointed question that immediately comes to mind: “What on God’s green earth makes you think MAGGAs like comment IBS would vote you for, a brownish guy, in a million billion years?”
Comments are closed.