Vivek Ramaswamy knocked it out of the park in a Monday night speech. Standing shoulder-to-shoulder with Donald Trump (after Trump called him a scam artist 48 hours earlier - so, obviously water under the bridge), Ramaswamy kept his promise to campaign for the former president after dropping out of the race.
"We are in the middle of a war in this country," said Ramaswamy, adding "That’s what this is. It’s not a war between black and white. It’s not between Democrat and Republican, even in a deeper sense, it’s between the permanent state and the everyday citizen, between those of us who love the United States of America and a fringe minority who hates this country and what we stand for."
"You gotta know you’re in a war to win one," the 38-year-old biotech executive continued. "There is not a better choice left in this race than this man right here. And that is why I am asking you to do the right thing as New Hampshire and to vote for Donald J. Trump as your next president."
Vivek full Trump endorsement speech: "We are in the middle of a war in this country... right now we need a commander in chief who will lead us to victory." Report here https://t.co/L51mOg9jVX pic.twitter.com/hX46QeZ134
— m o d e r n i t y (@ModernityNews) January 17, 2024
"We’ve been celebrating our diversity and our differences for so long that we forgot all of the ways that we are the same as Americans bound by that common set of ideals that set this country into motion," Ramaswamy continued. "We believe those ideals still exist. This man is gonna be your next president to revive them."
Ramaswamy also called on Haley and DeSantis to drop out and support Trump.
"I think Ron DeSantis and Nikki Haley would actually, at this point, do this country and this party a service by stepping aside to make sure that we’re focused on not only nominating Donald Trump but getting this country back and reviving those founding revolutionary ideals," he told Fox News on Tuesday.
"I do think that would be healthy for this country."
Ramaswamy also told host Jesse Watters that Americans are now living in "the 1776" moment.
"It’s time to actually make sure we elect the right president, put America first. Take the America First agenda to the next level," he said. "America First is not even about Trump. It didn’t start in 2016. It started in 1776."
"Donald Trump will be the right person to take this forward for the next four years. But we need to start laying down the foundation for this to live another 250 years."
Vivek Ramaswamy says he's ready to serve and he calls for Nikki Haley and Ron DeSantis to drop out of the race right now pic.twitter.com/TLaxjruR6o
— Jesse Watters (@JesseBWatters) January 17, 2024
In February 2023, Mr. Ramaswamy entered the 2024 race with limited name recognition. He spent millions of dollars on his campaign and led over several prominent Republicans, including former Vice President Mike Pence and Senator Tim Scott of South Carolina.
Ramaswamy ‘Will be Working With us For a Long Time’
Just one day after dropping out of his presidential race, Mr. Ramaswamy appeared alongside the former president in New Hampshire.
“He’s a fantastic guy. He’s got something that’s very special … and he ended up very strong. He did a great job,” President Trump told his supporters at the rally. “It’s an honor to have his endorsement.”
“He’s going to be working with us, and he'll be working with us for a long time,” the 45th president added.
It’s unclear what position President Trump will offer Mr. Ramaswamy in his administration if elected.
During the Fox News interview, host Jesse Watters asked whether he wanted to be the vice president. “I want to serve this country in whatever way I can,” he replied.
‘Friendly Fire’
Mr. Ramaswamy has been a staunch defender of the former president. He vowed to withdraw his name from the primary ballots in Colorado and Maine in response to attempts by these states to remove President Trump’s name. He also appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn the Colorado Supreme Court’s ruling and keep the 45th president’s name on the state’s ballots.
However, one day before the Iowa Caucuses, President Trump went after the entrepreneur, accusing him of using deceitful campaign tricks“ and calling him ”not MAGA.”
In response, Mr. Ramaswamy still defended the 45th president and called him “the greatest president of the 21st century.” The biotech entrepreneur said it was “an unfortunate move by his campaign advisors” and “friendly fire” is not helpful.
Trump Campaign Calls on GOP Candidates to Drop out
Former President Donald Trump’s campaign and political action committee (PAC) MAGA Inc. called on his Republican presidential opponents to drop out of the race after he scored a major victory in Iowa’s caucuses on Monday.
The super PAC said in a statement that voters in Iowa sent a “clear message” about the presidential primary race and that it’s likely “Donald Trump will be the next Republican nominee for President. It’s now time to make him the next President of the United States.”
“Joe Biden’s team just announced a massive war chest. Every dollar spent by President Trump’s primary losers is a dollar that could be fighting Joe Biden,” the statement read.
Trump campaign spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt told Newsmax that Mr. DeSantis and Ms. Haley are now “wasting their time” and “wasting money.”
via zerohedge