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Vivek Ramaswamy praises Donald Trump as ‘commander-in-chief’ in New Hampshire, roasts Nikki Haley
"I would endorse Donald J. Trump for president of the United States and do everything in my power to lead us to victory in this war,” Vivek Ramaswamy said
After dropping out of the 2024 presidential race on January 16, Vivek Ramaswamy has now appeared on stage with Donald Trump in New Hampshire. Shortly after quitting, Ramaswamy endorsed Trump, who won the Iowa caucus. The two have now appeared together at a campaign event at the Atkinson Resort and Country Club in Atkinson, New Hampshire
Trump welcomed Ramaswamy on stage in New Hampshire, saying, “Last night, I was honoured to receive the endorsement of a man who has become a true leader and earned the admiration of so many patriots. I've been a friend of his, even though we were competing against each other, and we got along. And he was saying, he's a great president. I kept saying, why is he running? He keeps calling me a great president, but he's a fantastic guy, a very smart guy. He's got some tremendous ideas and he's young, and he's got some young ideas, too, and that's a good thing. So he has a big, beautiful, bright future ahead – Vivek Ramaswamy."
Ramaswamy then came up on the stage and said, “Patriots across this state, we are in the middle of a war in this country. That's what this is. It's not a war between black and white. It's not between Democrat and Republican, even in a deeper sense. It's between the permanent state and the everyday citizen, between those of us who love the United States of America and a fringe minority who hates this country and what we stand for.”
“And right now, we need a commander in chief who will lead us to victory in this war. That's what we need in this country. You got to know you're in a war to win one. You can't win one if you're asleep at the switch, have your head stuck in the sand like most Republicans. And I think that's going to require somebody who isn't bought and paid for, a businessman, not a politician. Anybody heard of that? And that's why I was in this race,” he added.
Ramaswamy went on to say that “the people of Iowa spoke loud and clear last night.” “And I'm a big believer that we the people create a government that is accountable to us, not the other way around, that we the people choose who leads this country,” he said.
He added, “And so we heard we the people last night. And that is why last evening, I met my friend here. We met in person, and I told him that I would endorse Donald J. Trump for president of the United States and do everything in my power to lead us to victory in this war.”
Vivek Ramaswamy blasts Nikki Haley
Ramaswamy also took a dig at Nikki Haley. “We do have some enemies that we need to defeat on the other side, but we have challenges to address in our own party right here at home. So you know what? If you want somebody who's going to foist onto you to use your social media account, you want to use a driver's licence to do it, to have the right to use the Internet, this man's not your man. There's another candidate in this race who'll do that for you. It's Nikki Haley," he said.
"You want to cut Social Security, you want to cut Medicare, you want to cut veterans benefits so we can fork over more money to Ukraine so some kleptocrats can buy a bigger house. Vote for Nikki Haley, not this man,” he said.
“But if you want to actually put an agenda that puts Americans first, to say that the moral obligation of your leaders is to the citizens of this country, not another one," Ramaswamy said, adding that there is not a “better choice left in this race than this man right here.”
"And that is why I am asking you to do the right thing as New Hampshire and to vote for Donald J. Trump as your next president,” Ramaswamy said.
When Donald Trump attacked Vivek Ramaswamy ahead of Iowa caucuses
Notably, two days before the Iowa caucuses, Donald Trump criticised Vivek Ramaswamy publicly for the first time. "Vivek started his campaign as a great supporter, 'the best President in generations,' etc. Unfortunately, now all he does is disguise his support in the form of deceitful campaign tricks," Trump wrote on his social media platform, Truth Social.
The attack stemmed from shirts saying 'Save Trump, Vote Vivek' that Ramaswamy's campaign had been handing out. Ramaswamy posted a photo with a group of men wearing those shirts, which came to Trump's notice.
