Vivek Ramaswamy, entrepreneur and political newcomer, announced that he was pulling out and endorsing Donald Trump. When he entered the 2024 presidential race, he said would challenge more established candidates in Republicans.
After he was projected to finish a distant fourth in the Iowa caucuses, Ramaswamy told supporters, “We are going to suspend this presidential campaign.”
He added, “I called Donald Trump to tell him I congratulate him on his victory, and now going forward he will have my full endorsement for the president.”
Now, speculations are rife in political circles that Ramaswamy may become Trump’s number two, as on Tuesday he was greeted by the crowd with “VP, VP (Vice President)” chants when he shared the stage with the Republican frontrunner Trump in New Hampshire.
In his fiery speech, Ramaswamy endorsed Trump, stating that Trump praised him, saying, “He’s going to be working with us for a long time.”
“This man is going to be the next President to revive them. E pluribus unum, from many, one [Motto of US],” Ramaswamy said at the campaign event in Atkinson, New Hampshire.
Ramaswamy said, “You know how we are going to do it? We are going to do it by speaking the truth at every step of the way. There are two genders in this country. Period.”
“Fossil fuels are a requirement for human prosperity. Drill, frack, burn coal, and embrace nuclear energy. Reverse racism isn’t racism, and an open border is not a border. Parents determine the education of their children. The nuclear family is the greatest form of governance known to humankind. Capitalism lifts us up from poverty. There are three branches of government in the United States, not four,” he added.
Ramaswamy was greeted with loud cheers when he said, “The US Constitution is the strongest and greatest guarantor of freedom in human history. That is the truth; we fight for the truth.”
Watch: Vivek Ramaswamy calls Trump ‘Commander-in-Chief in New Hampshire
What did Trump say?
In Ramasamy’s response, Trump said, “I was actually surprised when he called up because he was doing really good”.
The former president added, “He is going to be working with us, and he will be working with us for a long time”.
These latest developments suggest that Trump might pick Ramasamy’s name for vice president — an office currently occupied by Kamala Harris, who is of Indian origin.
Just a few days back, Trump said that he had already decided who he wanted to be his vice president, but didn’t reveal the name. He had said that he was open to choosing someone competing against him for the party’s nomination.
Earlier, Trump took to his social media platform to share a claim about Nikki Haley, that she is not eligible to become president of the United States because her parents were not US citizens when she was born.
On his Truth Social profile, Trump posted a screenshot of the claim being made about Haley by the far-right website The Gateway Pundit.
The Gateway Pundit posted a screenshot on X, which read, “In @NikkiHaley’s situation, reports indicate that her parents were not U.S. citizens at the time of her birth in 1972.”
“Based on the Constitution as interpreted by @PaulIngrassia, this disqualifies Haley from presidential or vice-presidential candidacy under the 12th Amendment,” it further read, which was shared by Trump.
The same applies to Ramaswamy also, who was born on August 9, 1985, in Cincinnati, Ohio, to Indian Hindu immigrant parents. His parents are Tamil-speaking Brahmins from Kerala.
In the US, a person must be a “natural born citizen” and at least 35 years old and must have resided in the country for at least 14 years to be eligible for the presidency.
(With inputs from agencies)
