As the political situation in the United States gets more intense ahead of the 2024 presidential elections, former US President Donald Trump, a key frontrunner for the polls, has lauded his Republican rival, the Indian-origin presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy, and said that he would be open to having the latter as the vice presidential candidate.
The 77-year-old Trump heaped praises on the Indian-origin US entrepreneur and commended his renegade politics and energy. "I think he's great. Look, anybody that said I'm the best president in a generation... I have to like a guy like that," Trump said in an interview with Blaze TV's Glenn Beck.
"I can't get upset with him but he's a smart guy. He's a young guy. He's got a lot of talent. He's a very very very intelligent person. He's got good energy and he could be in some form of something," said the former US President.
Notably, the 38-year-old Ramaswamy, despite being Trump's rival in the run-up to the 2024 elections, has been one of the stauncher defenders of his policies and the four indictments currently levelled against the 45th President. During last week's Republican primary debate, Ramaswamy hailed Trump as the "best President of the 21st century" and said that his candidacy will aim for taking Trump's policies to the next level.
Trump's latest comments are significant as he is generally known for "rhetorically carpet-bombing" his rivals, especially those who gain momentum or encroach on his time in the limelight. The unexpected endorsement has set off speculations that Ramaswamy might become Trump's running mate in the upcoming polls. During the 2016 elections, Mike Pence was the vice presidential candidate below Trump.
Nevertheless, Trump also sounded a word of caution for his Republican rival. "He's starting to get out there a little bit. He's a little bit controversial. I can tell him be a little bit careful some things you have to hold in just a little bit, right?... He's got a lot of good energy I will tell you and he's been very nice to me," said the former President.
Ramaswamy's position among Republicans
IndianRamaswamy's popularity rating and online fundraising surged on August 24, a day after his maiden Republican presidential debate. According to the first poll which came out after the debate, 28 per cent of the 504 respondents said that Ramaswamy performed the best, followed by Florida Governor Ron DeSantis with 27 per cent, and Mike Pence (13%). Nikki Haley stood at the last spot with seven per cent.
The NBC News described the debate as "Vivek Ramaswamy Show". He is now tied with DeSantis at the second position in the GOP primary polls, but both of them lag significantly behind Trump who leads with 56% ahead of the 2024 elections.
However, Ramaswamy's foreign policy proposals have been criticised, especially his prescriptions for Israel, Taiwan and Ukraine.
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 Vivek 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.
(with ANI inputs)
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