WASHINGTON/LONDON: Vivek Ramaswamy, an Indian-American 2024 US presidential aspirant, has hinted that he might run on a joint ticket with former president Donald Trump as his working mate if he doesn’t win the Republican nomination, in line with a media report.
The remarks by Ramaswamy got here days after the 38-year-old multimillionaire biotech entrepreneur-turned-politician mentioned he was “not interested” in any job apart from president.
Ramaswamy mentioned he believed he might solely “reunite this country” as president, however didn’t rule out working with 77-year-old Trump as vice chairman if the previous president and frontrunner wins the nomination for a 3rd time.
Requested on Britain’s GB Information whether or not he can be “happy to be (Trump’s) VP”, Ramaswamy replied: “See, this isn’t about me. If this were about me, sure. That’s a fine position for someone to have at my age.
“This is about reviving our country and I can only reunite this country if I’m doing it from the White House as the leader and the face of our movement.”
He added that he had “fresh legs” and was “almost half [Trump’s] age”, however would ask him to function “my most valued adviser” within the White Home.
Rumours of a joint ticket between the 2 males within the 2024 race have been fanned by the Trump marketing campaign’s reward for Ramaswamy after the primary Republican major debate on Wednesday, through which he emerged as a breakout star.
A self-declared “outsider” who has no expertise as an elected official has pledged to pardon Trump for any federal convictions on “day one” of his presidency and proceed his legacy within the White Home with an “America First 2.0” agenda, The Telegraph newspaper mentioned.
In earlier interviews, Ramaswamy had denied changing into the previous president’s working mate, insisting that he might solely change the nation if he gained the highest job.
“I am not keen on a special place within the authorities. Frankly, I might drive change by way of the personal sector ahead of changing into quantity two or three within the federal authorities,” he told Fox News on Saturday.
His popularity rating and online fundraising have surged after his impressive performance at the first Republican presidential primary debate on Wednesday.
The first poll that came out after the debate said that 28 per cent of the 504 respondents said Ramaswamy performed the best. He was followed by Florida Governor Ron DeSantis with 27 per cent, and Pence (13 per cent). Indian-American Nikki Haley received the vote of seven per cent.
According to Fox News, Ramaswamy was the most Google-searched Republican candidate after the debate. He was followed by fellow Indian-American Haley.
Both the Indian-Americans were standing next to each other on the debate stage.
Politico, a Washington metropolitan area-based politics-focused newspaper company, said that Ramaswamy, the brash and uber-wealthy entrepreneur, got under the skin of his rivals and praised Trump, calling him “the best president of the 21st century.”
Though Ramaswamy has repeatedly denied he’s in the race just to be Trump’s running mate, that hasn’t quelled speculation. Many of the qualities that might make him unserious to some, seem to only burnish his bona fides to others and make him seem like a breath of fresh air, it said.
Rina Shah, a conservative political consultant and delegate to the Republican National Convention during the 2016 cycle, Ramaswamy is attempting “to be as Trump as Trump,” which will naturally curry favour with the former president as he searches for a running mate.
Another Republican strategist and former Trump White House advisor, Ja’Ron Smith, said “big possibility” when asked whether Ramaswamy’s showing on Wednesday put him in the running for veepstakes.
Ramaswamy’s performance in Milwaukee on Wednesday drew the admiration of Donald Trump Jr, the former president’s eldest child.
“I thought he had a standout performance. I mean, I think that did what Ron DeSantis needed to do,” he mentioned.
Trump Junior himself posted a clip of Ramaswamy arguing he was “the very best president of the twenty first century”, commenting: “This reply gave Vivek Ramaswamy a giant win within the debate due to a factor referred to as fact,” he mentioned.
Ramaswamy, if tapped as Vice President and later elected, can be the second youngest ever to serve within the position, behind John Breckinridge who served as President James Buchanan’s second in command when he was simply 36.
Breckinridge served from 1857 to 1861.