After a big win at the Iowa caucuses, former US President Donald Trump held a rally in Atkinson, New Hampshire with his former GOP rival Vivek Ramaswamy and thanked the Indian-American entrepreneur for endorsing him for the upcoming presidential runoff. Trump was all praises for Ramaswamy at the event after the latter withdrew from the race and hinted at working with him in the future.
After a disappointing fourth place in the Iowa caucuses, Ramaswamy began endorsing Trump straightaway and even appealed to his rivals, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and former UN ambassador Nikki Haley to step down to allow an "America-first patriot: in the White House. At the Atkinson rally, Ramaswamy said there was no better choice than Trump.
"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 Trump as your next president," Ramaswamy said in his address in New Hampshire alongside Trump. The ex-US President also thanked Ramaswamy for his endorsement and said that the Indian American leader would be working with him for a 'long time'.
"It's an honor to have his endorsement. He's gonna be working with us and he'll be working with us for a long time. Thank you," Trump said, as the crowd chanted "VP, VP", a sign that Trump might pick the 38-year-old entrepreneur as his vice presidential candidate
Trump and Ramaswamy in presidential race
While other candidates like Haley criticised Trump's policies, Ramaswamy praised the former President throughout his campaigns and even vowed to pardon him if elected. Trump has lauded Ramaswamy's campaign and even signalled that he would be open to having him as his running mate, stating that "He would be very good...".
Ramaswamy, has been one of Trump's staunchest defenders against the four indictments levelled against him. He has dubbed him as the "greatest President" of the 21st century and even vowed to pardon Trump from all charges, on his first day in office.
However, things abruptly changed when Trump attacked Ramaswamy by calling his campaign "deceitful" and urging his supporters not to "waste" their vote on him. However, Ramaswamy still said he won't criticise the former President and reiterated his earlier stance that Trump indeed is the "greatest President" of the 21st century.
Ramaswamy, who funded his campaign through his personal wealth in biotechnology and finance, called Trump the “best president of the 21st century” even as he tried to convince Republican voters that they should opt for “fresh legs” and “take our America First agenda to the next level.”
The Iowa caucuses
Former US President Donald Trump's landslide victory in the Iowa presidential caucuses has set the stage for a 2020 rematch between him and Democratic President Joe Biden. Although one of the least surprising victories, Trump registered an unprecedented margin as he left behind DeSantis, who was in second place, by a massive 32,840 votes.
The former President has won 20 out of the 40 delegates from Iowa, while DeSantis and Haley got eight and seven delegates respectively. The results affirmed Trump's unparalleled dominance in the Republican camp and his high popularity despite four major criminal indictments against him.
Meanwhile, the GOP race will now shift to New Hampshire, where the primary is set for January 23.
(with inputs from ANI)
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