Indian-origin US presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy is locked in a fierce race as the Republican primaries are underway ahead of the 2024 polls. When asked where he would seek guidance if chosen President, the 38-year-old entrepreneur said that he would like to have X (formerly Twitter) owner and businessman Elon Musk as his adviser in his administration in case he wins next year's polls.
In an interview with NBC News, Ramaswamy asserted that he wants to include people who have a "blank fresh impression" under his administration. "I’ve enjoyed getting to know better, Elon Musk recently, I expect him to be an interesting adviser of mine because he laid off 75% of the employees at Twitter," he said.
The Indian-American presidential candidate that he has mostly interacted with Musk through social media, apart from his appearance on Twitter Spaces. He has admired the mass layoffs from Twitter by Musk last year and has also advocated for shutting down the Department of Education, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
Over a week ago, Musk reposted an interview between Ramaswamy and American political commentator Tucker Carlson, calling the former as a “very promising candidate”.
Musk and Ramaswamy had interacted in a virtual discussion where they spoke on various topics. Musk admitted that he disagreed with the presidential candidate's stance on climate change.
Ramaswamy is directly competing against former US President Donald Trump, although he has expressed admiration for his policies when he was in power. Ahead of the 2024 elections, Ramaswamy has made his agenda clear for the poll campaign in which he has dubbed China as the “biggest threat” that the US faces and vowed to go for “total de-coupling” with Beijing if he is voted to power.
He is the third Indian-American — along with Nikki Haley and Hirsh Vardhan Singh — who will be up against former President Donald Trump in the primaries in January next year.
Who is Ramaswamy?
Vivek Ramaswamy, a biotech entrepreneur and US right-wing media favorite, has announced his bid to run for US President in 2024. In his campaign announcement video, he stated his belief in the existence of the ideals that united Americans 250 years ago and his intention to revive them if elected.
Born to Indian parents in Ohio, Ramaswamy attended Harvard University, where he studied molecular biology and later obtained a law degree from Yale Law School. He is a serial entrepreneur and founded Roivant Sciences in 2014, a biopharmaceutical company that focuses on developing and commercializing innovative therapies. The company is worth over $6.3 billion today and applies new technological advances to drug research.
Apart from Roivant, Ramaswamy is also a co-founder at Strive Asset Management, which is backed by venture capitalists like Peter Thiel, Bill Ackerman, and JD Vance.
Ramaswamy plans to "bring merit back" and reduce dependence on China. He believes that China is the "greatest external threat to America" and wants to revitalize the American spirit and national identity. Ramaswamy aims to reintroduce a culture of merit into society and promote free speech, self-governance, and meritocracy if elected.
