Former biotech executive Vivek Ramaswamy, who last week ended his White House bid and endorsed Donald Trump, has once again slammed the Republican Presidential candidate Nikki Haley. The 38-year-old criticised the former South Carolina Governor during an appearance at the popular Flagrant podcast, hosted by US comedians Andrew Schulz and Akaash Singh.
The tech billionaire’s longshot bid for to White House caught the attention of Americans but failed to catapult him enough in the GOP’s first nominating contest in the state of Iowa. When asked about his opinion on Haley, Ramaswamy said the “corporate press” loves her, and that the only “one currency” that matters to her is “personal power.” He even agreed with the host that Nikki “has an insane lust for power.”
Asked if Nikki represents the interest of Corporate America, Ramaswamy said that she stands for “whatever it takes to accumulate an added ounce of money and power, is what we’re going to do.” “…Use an ideology as a vector to do it to project American power, which is a philosophy that creates American weakness in the name of creating an illusion of power. And we’re going to fight foreign wars and we’re going to create a domestic surveillance State as a consequence,” he said.
‘We are thinking things through man’
Ramaswamy went on to call both Nikki and US President Joe Biden a product of the “deep state,” a term he has often used to describe the American bureaucracy. During the podcast which lasted over two hours, he discussed ideas that he brought up throughout his campaign, including the topics of wokeness, the Republican agenda, the problem with the FBI, and US-led foreign wars. He was also asked about taking on the role of US Vice President under Trump. To this, he replied, “We are thinking things through man.” “The role he is going play is the next President and the role I am going to play that, whether it’s going to be inside government or outside government, we are going to figure out,” he added.
Ramaswamy, born in Ohio to immigrant parents from India, was one of the surprises of the 2024 Republican race dominated by former President Trump. A fierce defender of Trump throughout the campaign, Ramaswamy likely secured himself a spot in Republican politics going forward with his youthful demeanour and impeccable debating skills. However, Trump turned on him in the final days leading up to the Iowa caucus, calling him a “fraud” and asserting that a vote for Ramaswamy was a vote for the “other side.”
Despite this, Ramaswamy endorsed Trump last Monday, saying Trump was an “America-first” candidate who would have his full support. “There is no path for me to be the next president,” Ramaswamy told supporters in Des Moines after partial results from the Iowa caucus showed him in fourth place with around 7.7% of votes. In his victory speech, Trump adopted a softer tone toward Ramaswamy. “I also want to congratulate Vivek, because he did a hell of a job,” Trump said. Ramaswamy’s fellow Republican candidates often appeared irritated with the newcomer in debates, with Haley telling him during one contentious encounter: “Every time I hear you, I feel a little bit dumber.”
(With agency inputs)
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