Donald Trump-Vivek Ramaswamy administration in the works? Trump weighs in – The Indian Express
Former US President and Republican frontrunner for 2024 campaign Donald Trump praised fellow candidate Vivek Ramaswamy, saying that the Indian-American would make a “very good” Vice President.
“He (Vivek Ramaswamy) is a very, very, very intelligent person. He’s got good energy, and he could be some form of something,” Trump said during a phone interview. “I tell you, I think he’d be very good,”
Donald Trump on Vivek Ramaswamy as possible VP: ‘I think he’d be very good’ pic.twitter.com/4AXu3xO3Im
— Insider Paper (@TheInsiderPaper) August 30, 2023
Trump’s comments came after Ramaswamy referred to him as the “best President of the 21st century” during the Republican debate last week. Trump had not attended the debate but had said that he would be watching the debate to scout for a VP.
When asked if he thought the 38-year-old would make a good VP, Trump said, “Well I think he’s great. Look, anybody that said I’m the best President in the generation… he has said it a couple of times… I have to like a guy like that… I can’t get upset with him,” Trump said.
“He’s a smart guy. He’s a young guy, he has got a lot of talent,” Trump said.
During the GOP debate last week, Ramaswamy had said that it’s a fact that Trump was the best President of the 21st century, and had defended him against criticism that the Trump campaign was fuelled by “vengeance and grievance.”
Vivek calls Trump the best president of the 21st century.
This is why he is surging. pic.twitter.com/FfTsO1HbBl
— Charlie Kirk (@charliekirk11) August 24, 2023
However, he was not always on the same page as Trump, leading to criticisms that he is being an opportunist to benefit from Trump’s voter base.
For instance, in his 2022 book “Nation of Victims: Identity Politics, the Death of Merit, and the Path Back to Excellence,” Ramaswamy had criticised then-President Trump for refusing to cede to Joe Biden after the 2020 election results were announced.
“It was a dark day for democracy,” he had written. “The loser of the last election refused to concede the race, claimed the election was stolen, raised hundreds of millions of dollars from loyal supporters, and is considering running for executive office again. I’m referring, of course, to Donald Trump.”
But he later clarified to the New York Times that he believed Trump’s decision was a “bad judgment” rather than a “crime.”
“What I said at the time was that I really thought what Trump did was regrettable,” he told NYT. “I would have handled it very differently if I was in his shoes. I will remind you that I am running for US president in the same race that Donald Trump is running right now.”
So is a Trump-Ramaswamy administration in the cards? Ramaswamy thinks not. Speaking to Bloomberg News in a previous interview, the businessman said: “I think he [Trump] and I share something in common, which is that neither of us make a very good number two.”