Vivek Ramaswamy during the second GOP presidential primary debate Photo: ROBIN BECK
Vivek Ramaswamy, the bright star of the first Republican primary debate, summed up his views in his closing address, telling the cameras: “God is real. There are two genders. Fossil fuels are essential for human prosperity. Reverse racism is racism. An open border is not a border. Parents determine the education of their children. The nuclear family is the greatest form of government known to mankind. Capitalism is lifting us out of poverty.”
The manifesto aims to place him at the heart of the modern Republican Party, which is battling Joe Biden over culture war issues and criticizing his decisions to spend hundreds of billions of dollars. dollars for climate subsidies.
To his supporters, the millionaire entrepreneur is the natural successor to Donald Trump, a self-proclaimed «outsider» who is «not a politician» and will run the federal government along the lines of Elon Musk.
But can this presentation put him in the White House ?
His rivals probably think so. The fact that Mr Ramaswamy drew the most criticism from the other candidates on Wednesday night shows that they consider him a serious threat.
The 38-year-old biotech entrepreneur's ratings have soared in polls in recent weeks as Ron DeSantis' re-election campaign faltered, fueling speculation that he could become Trump's running mate or even beat him to the nomination.
< p>His election He was barely 40 years old, which would make him the youngest US president in history and the first Indian-American to hold the office.
During the first debate, he declared himself «a skinny guy with a funny story.» name,» acknowledged his lack of political experience and outlined the essence of socially conservative «anti-woke» politics.
Mr. Ramaswamy was born in Ohio in 1985 to Hindu Indian immigrants and built a career as a hedge fund investor. after studying at Harvard and Yale University, where he met his future wife Apoorva Tewari.
Republican presidential candidate businessman Vivek Ramaswamy holds his son Arjun during a fundraiser
The couple have two young sons, Karthik and Arjun, and he described his wife, a laryngologist, as “a leader in her own way, in her own unique way.” world.”
In 2014, he added: He is worth $350 million in Roivant Sciences, a biotech company that has had success buying patents from larger companies on drugs that have not yet been fully developed and marketed. .
Now, according to poll aggregator FiveThirtyEight, he ranked fourth among the Republican candidates, with 6.3 percent of the vote, compared with 13.9 percent for Ron DeSantis and 54 percent for Trump.
The polling results were controversial concern among other candidates. In the second debate, Nikki Haley lashed out at him, saying, «Honestly, every time I hear you, I feel a little dumber for what you say.»
In the first, Mike Pence described it. as a «newbie» and Chris Christie joked that he «sounds like ChatGPT».
So far, his proposal has been a hit with evangelical Christian voters, and Mr. DeSantis is also trying to please that base, but Mr. Ramaswamy will need the support of a significant number of Trump voters to have any hope of winning the nomination.
Vivek Ramaswamy was born in Ohio in 1985 to Hindu Indian immigrants and built a career as a hedge fund investor. Photo: Contour RA
When the candidates were asked whether they would still support Mr. Trump as the Republican nominee if he were convicted in Georgia, where he faces charges of masterminding a criminal conspiracy to overturn the election, Mr. Ramaswamy led the way rushed to his defense.< /p>
He previously said he would forgive Trump any convictions resulting from two federal trials in Washington and Florida.
The proposal earned praise from Donald Trump Jr., who told reporters in the debate room: “I think he gave an outstanding performance. I mean, I think (he) did what Ron DeSantis needed to do.”
This time, Mr. Ramaswamy took on more traditional politics that was out of character for him, undermining one of the its main advantages: its claims to authenticity.
Ramaswamy's strategy for winning Trump's support is based on continuing his «great» policies under what he calls «America First 2.0.»
He is a skeptic of both climate change and climate change. and the war in Ukraine, two key issues for Republican voters, and it has further contributed to culture war issues such as abortion, transgender rights and racial politics.
Asked whether he would increase military support for Ukraine, he said further funding would be «catastrophic» and amount to «defending against invasion across someone else's border when we should be using the same military resources to prevent invasion on our own southern border Here». in the USA.»
On climate change, his statements that the US should «unlock American energy, drill, frac, burn coal and use nuclear power» are an attempt to position itself against Biden's flagship inflation-cut legislation, which has invested $291 billion in green technology .
'It will take an outsider'
Like Trump in 2016, Ramaswamy used his credentials as a businessman and tried to fend off attacks in which he has no political experience.
Although he has previously stated that he is not interested in being Trump's vice president, a line that will be tested if he has no realistic chance of beating him by the end of the year.
In an interview last month, Mr. Ramaswamy significantly softened his stance on whether he would serve as Mr. Trump's acting vice president.
When asked by GB News whether he would be a running mate President Mr. Trump if the former president wins the Republican nomination. , he said, “See, this is not about me. If it concerned me, of course. This is a great position for a person my age.
“This is about rebuilding our country, and I can only bring this country back together if I do it from the White House as the leader and face of our movement.”
He added that he has “fresh legs» and that he would ask Trump to become his «most valuable adviser» if he wins the presidential election next year.
Ramaswami has previously said that he is «not interested in another government position» and would prefer to work in the private sector.
“Let me address the issue that's on everyone's mind at home tonight,” he told the audience Wednesday.
p>
“Who is this skinny guy with a funny last name and what the hell are you doing in the middle of this debate?”
He added that he is “not a politician” but an entrepreneur, claiming: “I really think it will take an outsider.”
Vivek Ramaswamy campaigning in Iowa Photo: STEFANI REYNOLDS/AFP
The next major obstacle The challenge for Mr. Ramaswamy will be converting his early wins into political donations to keep his campaign running until the Iowa caucus on Jan. 15.
He is currently fourth in the cash race.
The Milwaukee debate was a defining moment for Ramaswamy, who now faces increasingly vicious attacks from other candidates trying to slow his rise.
The official race for the Republican nomination has just begun. but it's already clear that Mr. Ramswamy is one of the most important candidates to watch.
Who won the Republican debate?
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