US Presidential Elections 2024: In terms of tone and policies, Vivek Ramaswamy’s campaign closely resembled that of the outgoing president, Donald Trump.
Entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, who is Indian-American, withdrew from the 2024 US presidential contest today and declared his endorsement of Donald Trump following a lackluster showing in the Iowa Republican primary.
Despite being relatively unknown in political circles when he entered the campaign in February 2023, Mr. Ramaswamy was able to attract the attention and support of Republican voters by emphasizing America first and holding strong views on immigration. His campaign strategy, in terms of both tone and policy, was very similar to that of the former president Trump. Mr. Ramaswamy aimed to reach out to the conservative support base that had helped Trump win earlier elections.
Trump’s victory in Iowa that same evening cemented his standing as the front-runner for the Republican candidacy.
Born in Ohio to Keralan immigrants, Mr. Ramaswamy became one of the surprise candidates in a Republican field still heavily influenced by Trump’s name.
But in the last days before the Iowa caucuses, Mr. Vivek Ramaswamy found himself under fire from Trump, who publicly attacked him, calling him a “fraud” on his social media platform Truth Social and saying that supporting the Indian-American represented siding with the “other side.”
Mr. Ramaswamy received about 7.7% of the vote and finished fourth in Iowa. With the publication of his 2021 hit “Woke, Inc.,” a biting indictment of business decisions predicated on social justice and climate change concerns, the Harvard-educated millionaire shot to fame in right-wing circles.
During debates, Mr. Ramaswamy’s fellow Republican presidential contenders frequently vented their displeasure with him. One such candidate, former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley, who is also of Indian descent, made fun of him by remarking, “Every time I hear you, I feel a little bit dumber.”
Ron DeSantis defeated Ms. Haley to take second place in the Iowa Caucuses, with Trump finishing first.
