After coming a distant fourth in Iowa’s leadoff caucuses, biotech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy suspended his pursuit for the Republican presidential nomination in 2024 and endorsed former President Donald Trump on Monday.
Ramaswamy stated that he made the choice after realizing that there was no way for him to advance in the race “absent things that we don’t want to see happen in this country.”
The 38-year-old political newcomer, who tried to emulate Trump’s emergence as a loud, wealthy outsider, claimed he called Trump earlier Monday evening to congratulate him on his Iowa victory. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis finished second, with former UN Ambassador Nikki Haley finishing third.
Ramaswamy assured supporters gathering at a hotel in Des Moines that Trump “will have my full endorsement for the presidency.”
“And I believe we’re going to do the right thing for this country,” he concluded. As a result, I’m asking you to join me in moving our America First movement to the next level.”
Ramaswamy “did a helluva job” in the campaign, Trump added in his victory speech a few minutes earlier. Ramaswamy stated that he would most likely appear with Trump in New Hampshire on Tuesday night and advised that DeSantis and Haley “follow suit” in resigning from the race.
Throughout the campaign, Ramaswamy mocked most of his opponents while hailing Trump as “the best president of the twenty-first century.” He emphasized, however, that Republicans should choose “fresh legs” while remaining committed to the America First program.
Ramaswamy’s tactics, particularly his demand for “revolution,” catapulted him into the mix of candidates hoping to dethrone Trump — or at the very least become a viable alternative. His decision to withdraw, however, is the latest indication that, despite being 77 years old and facing multiple criminal prosecutions, the former president still controls Republican politics and is the overwhelming favorite to win the GOP nominee for the third time in a row.
Ramaswamy’s defeat also demonstrates how tough it is for any Republican other than Trump to challenge party dogma, as the first-time candidate found little political reward for statements such as his opposition to Israeli and Ukrainian aid.
Ramaswamy stated that he might consider running for vice president.
“I’m not somebody who’s going to be able to speak anyone’s convictions but my own,” he was quoted as saying. “So, whether it’s the vice presidency or any other role, I’m going to evaluate what’s best for the future of this country.” But my number one commitment is to the truth.”
Ramaswamy, the son of Indian immigrants, rose to the highest levels of politics after amassing hundreds of millions of dollars at the convergence of hedge funds and pharmaceutical research, a career he mapped and nurtured while attending Harvard University and later Yale Law School.
He brought to his campaign the same brazen attitude he used to entice investors, even though the pharmaceuticals he promoted never made it to market.
“Do you want someone who grew up in this system to bring incremental reform?” “Do you want someone coming in from the outside?” he asked previously in the campaign, referring to his economic success as a foreshadowing of what he could do in the White House.
Ramaswamy dazzled numerous GOP audiences with a rapid-fire presentation on a variety of problems, skillfully blending his background and specific policy stances with conservative talking points.
He campaigned for the deportation of American-born offspring of illegal immigrants. He called the government’s narrative of the September 11, 2001, attacks into question and advocated for the dismissal of 75% of the federal staff.
He also advocated for raising the voting age in the United States. He chastised corporate America for putting a premium on diversity, equity, and inclusion.
Ramaswamy referred to his Republican opponents as “Dick Cheney in 3-inch heels” and chuckled when one of them branded him “scum.” But he always trod lightly around Trump, pledging to pardon the former president for any criminal crimes, including those relating to the insurgency at the United States Capitol on January 6, 2021.
Despite his boldness, Ramaswamy frequently ignored contradictory details, and his confidence occasionally got him into trouble.
He didn’t tell voters that he once called Trump’s denial of his 2020 defeat “abhorrent” or that he considered Jan. 6 to be a “dark day for democracy.” He would not specify whether he has invested in companies with “woke” diversity, equity, and inclusion programs.
His isolationist beliefs and allegations that US officials support Israel for personal financial gain enraged key conservative commentators, notably Fox News’ Sean Hannity.
Ramaswamy insisted on a higher goal: “I’ll keep us out of World War III and then revive national pride in this country.”