GOP Presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy says he’s “Trumper than Trump, trumping Trump on Trumpness.”
That quote published by Al Jazeera captures the heart of the biotech executive’s campaign strategy that seems to be working in Republican circles.
As the Guardian reports, he is pitching himself to be the next Trump. He has said he would fire 75% of all federal employees and abolish the FBI, the Center for Disease Control and other government agencies including the Department of Education.
His credentials as a fierce conservative are capsulized in his 2021 book, Woke Inc, in which he goes after corporations that evolve their business strategies around social justice and climate change concerns, according to Reuters.
He’s a climate change denier who considers global warming a hoax. He’s also open to using the military to attack the drug cartel in Mexico, according to Vox.
“To many Americans, the idea of an outsider being able to correct what’s wrong in Washington is very appealing, particularly – especially for Republicans – if that outsider is a successful businessperson,” said Todd Belt of George Washington University.
A son of Indian immigrants, he’s been the target of conservative media personality Ann Coulter who says he and fellow Indian American candidate Nikkie Haley are up to some “Hindu business.”
Ramaswamy has attempted to turn that around by portraying himself as a supporter of Hindu nationalism in India while embracing Christian nationalism in the U.S, reports Slate.
“The extent to which Vivek Ramaswamy is arguing there’s a natural resonance between Christian nationalism and Hindu religious nationalism, I think, would make even Hindu far-right groups uncomfortable,” Rohit Chopra, a professor of global media at Santa Clara University said. “To say his Hindu values are consistent with Christian nationalism, that he can be part of the same ideological family—that claim of Vivek’s is completely steeped in historical amnesia.”
He also supports an abortion ban after six weeks of pregnancy with the exception of rape and incest. He’s called for raising the voting age from 18 to 25 unless those young voters can pass a civics exam or complete a national service.
He’d like to abolish all financial support for Ukraine in its war with Russia.
Ramaswamy, like the rest of the Republican field, is well behind Trump but placing third and even second in many GOP primary polls.
“People are tired of professional politicians. He seems to have an outgoing, engaging personality, which is what you need to have when you’re going and meeting people who have no idea who the hell you are,” said political scientist Steffen Schmidt of Iowa State University.
AsAmNews is published by the non-profit, Asian American Media Inc.
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