| Ramaswamy was declared a Republican candidate on Feb 21, 2023 | |
| Born | Vivek Ganapathy Ramaswamy August 9, 1985 (age 38) Cincinnati, Ohio, U.S. |
|---|---|
| Education | Harvard University (BA) Yale University (JD) |
| Title | Co-founder of Strive Asset Management |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse | Apoorva Tewari |
| Children | 2 |
Campaign –
Ramaswamy was inspired by Donald Trump‘s victory in the 2016 presidential election, and wanted to run “with an entrepreneurial spirit, unorthodox ideas, and few expectations”. His campaign has also been compared to Andrew Yang‘s 2020 presidential campaign by media outlets such as Fox News.
Announcement and launch
Ramaswamy had previously considered a candidacy in the 2022 United States Senate election in Ohio but ultimately decided not to run.Since then, he had been named as a potential presidential candidate,[18] and by early February, it was reported that he had begun assembling a campaign team.[19] He formally declared his candidacy later that month in an interview on Tucker Carlson Tonight.
Political and social positions
In his campaign announcement, Ramaswamy pitched himself as a conservative and argued: “What the conservative movement needs to do is more than just criticize the poison that fills the void but fill the vacuum with a vision of American national identity.”Ramaswamy later described himself as an “American nationalist“. The Hill characterizes him as a conservative.
Abortion
Ramaswamy opposes abortion and has said, “I think abortion is murder.” While opposing a federal ban on abortion, he supports state-level six-week abortion bans, with exceptions for rape, incest, and danger to the woman’s life.
Affirmative action
Ramaswamy has expressed opposition to affirmative action, calling it the “single biggest form of institutionalized racism in America today” He has spoken in support of rescinding Lyndon B. Johnson’s Executive Order 11246.
America First policy
In his campaign announcement, Ramaswamy stated “I’m all for putting America First, but in order to put America first, we have to first rediscover what America is. And to me, those are these basic rules of the road that set this nation into motion from meritocracy to free speech, to self-governance over aristocracy.”According to Ramaswamy, “The most fundamental divide of our time is not black vs white, gay vs straight, or even Democrat vs Republican. It is the Great Reset vs the Great Uprising. Aristocracy vs sovereignty. Self-governance vs monarchy; and this is a “transpartisan & transnational struggle”.
Anti-wokeism
He started his campaign by claiming that America is in the middle of a “national identity crisis due to the left-wing ideology of “woke-ism” that promotes a victimhood culture by dividing the country into different victim groups.He has criticized “climate-ism”, “covid-ism”, and “gender ideology”, which he calls “new secular religions”.[9] In August 2021, Ramaswamy released a book, “Woke Inc,” which became a New York Times bestseller, and slammed the so-called “modern woke-industrial complex.”A profile in The New York Times described Ramaswamy as an anti-woke candidate.
Ramaswamy has argued that “critical race theory” has indoctrinated public schoolchildren.
Currency
Ramaswamy is a strong opponent of central bank digital currencies, calling them a “grave threat to liberty”.
Ramaswamy is a supporter of Bitcoin, arguing that as a “decentralized alternative”, it serves as “a source of competition to the existing system.” However, he is opposed to using Bitcoin as a commodity to help stabilize the U.S. dollar.
Drugs
Ramaswamy has described himself as “not a war on drugs person”.He is in favor of federally legalizing marijuana, calling it “a joke” that the drug is federally criminalized. He is also in favor of decriminalizing ayahuasca and ketamine usage for military veterans suffering from PTSD, arguing it will help combat the U.S. fentanyl epidemic and prevent veteran suicides.
Energy
Ramaswamy is a supporter of nuclear energy,[72] calling it “the best form of carbon-free energy production known to mankind”.
Freedom of speech
Ramaswamy has stated that if elected president he would fight government pressures on technology companies to censor disfavored political speech. He said “As Elon Musk did at Twitter, I will release the ‘state action files’ from the federal government—publicly exposing every known instance in which bureaucrats have wrongfully pressured companies to take constitutionally prohibited actions.” He also wrote “If you can’t fire someone for being black, gay or Muslim, you shouldn’t be able to fire someone for his political speech.”[61][74]
Gun rights
Ramaswamy is a supporter of gun rights and supports a national constitutional carry law. He has also vowed to abolish the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
Immigration
Ramaswamy calls for a merit-based system of immigration and supports scrapping lottery-based immigration such as the Diversity Immigrant Visa. He has said that he would significantly lower the number of permitted refugees allowed to immigrate to the U.S., while adding that there would be exceptions under “special circumstances”, such as for Afghans who assisted the U.S. during its war in Afghanistan.
He also states America must “unapologetically” secure the southern border against illegal immigration.
LGBT rights
Ramaswamy supports same-sex marriage in the United States but believes churches should not be forced to perform same-sex weddings if it conflicts with their beliefs.[citation needed] He also supports same-sex couples having the same adoption rights so long as they pass the same background checks as straight couples.[citation needed] On transgender issues, Ramaswamy believes that 18 should be the minimum age to receive gender-transitioning treatments and argues “children should not be allowed to make irreversible life decisions.
During a 2023 debate with an LGBT activist, Ramaswamy said that he respected different opinions but argued “I believe that we live in a country where free adults should be free to dress how they want, behave how they want and that’s fine, but you don’t oppress, you don’t become oppressive by foisting that on others, and that especially includes kids because kids aren’t the same as adults. In an interview, he has also referred to some LGBTQ rights and advocacy groups as “cult-like” and as having “no obligaiton to logic. He added, “[a cult] is what this LGBTQIA+ movement has become.
Ramaswamy has said he would not reinstate a transgender military ban.
Religion
Ramaswamy’s professed Hindu faith has often drawn scrutiny and attacks from some Christian nationalists. Ramaswamy responded to questions about his faith by noting that he shares Judeo-Christian values, even though he is a Hindu.[83] Further, he has asked “Do you want somebody who lives by those values and shares those values and will govern according to those values even if I don’t check the box of being a Christian in name? Or do you want somebody who’s a Christian in name but may not, in any sense, live according to those values Democratic Representative Ro Khanna defended Ramaswamy against attacks on his faith after a “MAGA pastor” preached against supporting a Hindu for the presidency.
Voting rights
Ramaswamy has indicated that he favors raising the voting age to 25 in most circumstances. The policy change, which would have to be done through a constitutional amendment, would only allow for citizens between 18 and 24 to vote if they are enlisted in the military, work as first-responder personnel, or pass a civics test. The civics test would be identical to the test for an immigrant to become a naturalized citizen of the United States. He is also in favor of establishing Election Day as a federal holiday and requiring Voter ID to cast a ballot.
Whistleblowers
Ramaswamy has promised to pardon Edward Snowden and Julian Assange if elected, referring to Snowden’s actions as “heroic”.[89]
Economic policy
Federal government reorganization
Ramaswamy argues for eight-year limits for all unelected federal bureaucrats, similar to term limits imposed on US presidents. He has also identified ten federal agencies that he would abolish, including the Department of Education.
Tax policy
Ramaswamy has declared that he wants a flat 12.5% tax rate, covering all things from income, property, and capital gains, to sales and inheritance tax. He has also indicated that he favors the abolition of the Internal Revenue Service (IRS).
In his book Nation of Victims, Ramaswamy expressed support for an inheritance tax rate as high as 59%, writing that intergenerational wealth transfers create a “hereditary aristocracy“.He has called for ending the Federal Reserve‘s dual mandate (to control inflation and minimize unemployment), saying that the Fed’s mission should be limited to controlling inflation. He has not taken a public position on the 2017 Trump tax cuts.
Foreign policy
China
During his campaign announcement, Ramaswamy stated that America needed a “total decoupling” from China. He has described the Chinese government as a “great existential threat” and argues China now represents a more significant threat to the sovereignty of the United States than the Soviet Union had during the Cold War as America has found itself in an “economic codependent relationship” with a hostile government.
Ramaswamy also argued that America has become too economically reliant on China through being “addicted” to cheap goods and that economic separation from China would not be easy, but “some sacrifice of short-term conveniences” would be necessary for the long-term goal of reducing economic dependence on China.[95] He has called for putting guns in “every Taiwanese household” in order to deter China from invading.
Israel
Ramaswamy is pro-Israel. However, he favors reducing U.S. military aid to Israel, arguing that he could negotiate more Israeli-Arab bilateral agreements rendering U.S. aid unnecessary by 2028.
Ukraine
Ramaswamy has proposed to end the Russian invasion of Ukraine by having Ukraine concede currently occupied territories to Russia and renew economic relations with the country. In exchange, Russia would be required to return to START and end its alliance with China,[99] which he labeled as the greater threat.[100] Ramaswamy also stated that he would cut support for Ukraine,[101][102] and block the country’s possible future NATO membership.[103]
Military intervention
Ramaswamy argues that “foreign policy is all about prioritization” and that good use of the US military is “protecting American soil and American interests, not a pointless war somewhere else.
Ramaswamy argues that the United States should use the military to directly take on Mexican drug cartels and “end the fentanyl epidemic in this country.” He has furthermore stated, “We can do it to Bin Laden, we can do it to Soleimani, we can do it to the Mexican drug cartels south of the border.”
Notable event
Support of President Donald Trump
While some candidates, including Chris Christie and Asa Hutchinson, have been openly critical of former president Donald Trump throughout his ongoing legal battles, Ramaswamy has defended Trump unabashedly.[107]
After Trump’s social media accounts were suspended following the January 6 attack on the Capitol, Ramaswamy and Jed Rubenfeld co-wrote a Wall Street Journal op-ed that called the attack “disgraceful”, but argued that social media websites should be treated as state actors and that their ban of Trump violated the First Amendment. Trump has praised Ramaswamy for saying “only … good things” about him, and the two men have met several times.
When interviewed, he called Trump’s indictment in The People of the State of New York v. Donald J. Trump “a national disaster.” Regarding the 2023 jury verdict against Trump for sexual abuse in E. Jean Carroll vs. Donald J. Trump, Ramaswamy stated “This seems like just another part of the establishment’s anaphylactic response”. Following the federal indictment of Donald Trump in June 2023, Ramaswamy vowed to give Trump a presidential pardon if elected.
Attempted Wikipedia editing[edit]
In May 2023, Forbes reported Ramaswamy had paid an editor to alter his Wikipedia page to appear more favorable to political conservatives before announcing his campaign. Forbes reported:
Anyone can make changes to Wikipedia articles, but it’s against the rules for anyone to edit an article about themselves. It’s within the rules to pay someone else to make changes on Wikipedia articles as long as those payments are disclosed. The changes to the Wikipedia page, first reported by Mediaite, were made by a user named Jhofferman, who provided the disclosure on Wikipedia.
The paid editor removed references to his involvement with the Ohio COVID-19 Response Team and his Paul & Daisy Soros Fellowship for New Americans postgraduate fellowship (other editors later restored the removed content, citing the report). Paul and Daisy Soros are respectively the elder brother and sister-in-law of businessman and social activist George Soros, who has been the subject of numerous right-wing conspiracy theories.
Ramaswamy’s campaign confirmed that it had paid an editor, but denied it was trying to “scrub” his Wikipedia page. A campaign spokesperson said the edits were revisions of “factual distortions” and blamed a Ron DeSantis-aligned super PAC for amplifying the story.
LinkedIn lockout[edit]
On May 17, 2023, Ramaswamy’s LinkedIn account was locked for violations of LinkedIn’s user agreement. The company cited three posts where he was critical of Joe Biden, the Chinese Communist Party, and climate change. On May 24, the company issued a statement that they do not tolerate “misinformation, hate speech, violence or any form of abuse” on their platform. Ramaswamy stated that his lockout was censorship, and a showcase of “Typical Big Tech behavior: trying to cover their tracks after egregious election interference.” On May 25, the company restored his account, stating that the lockout was “in error”.