“Not interested…”: Vivek Ramaswamy, GOP candidate for President, will not take Vice President slot

August 20, 2023

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Vivek Ramaswamy speaks to the press during the Moms for Liberty Summit in Philadelphia on July 1. MUST CREDIT: Photo for The Washington Pos by Hannah Beier

Indian-American entrepreneur and Republican Presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy expressed ‘complete disinterest’ in holding the position of Vice President in the US administration, the Hill newspaper reported.

Ramaswamy said he would turn down an offer of the vice presidency if he doesn’t win the GOP presidential nomination for 2024.

“I’m not interested in a different position in the government,” he said in a Fox News interview on Saturday. “Frankly, I’d drive change through the private sector sooner than becoming a number 2 or a number 3 in the federal government.”

“Donald Trump and I share something in common and that is that neither of us would do well in a number 2 position,” he added.

Notably, Ramaswamy’s remarks echo other candidates like former UN Ambassador Nikki Haley who has also stated no interest in being the second-in-command.

“I think everybody that says, ‘She’s doing this to be vice president,’ needs to understand I don’t run for second,” Haley said this week.

Meanwhile, Ramaswamy has shot up sharply in GOP primary polls, standing tied with Florida Governor Ron DeSantis at the second position. However, both candidates lag hugely behind former President Donald Trump who leads with 56 per cent, as per The Hill.

It is pertinent to mention that DeSantis, who was in second place, despite registering 21 percent in June has witnessed a huge fall as he currently stands at 10 per cent currently according to Emerson College Polling. On the other hand, Ramaswamy has risen to the second spot from a mere 2 per cent then.

On the policy front, Ramaswamy has strongly advocated for “complete de-coupling” with China calling President Xi Jinping a “dictator” and Beijing the “biggest” threat to the US.
He has also proposed a ‘deal’ where the Russia-Ukraine conflict ends with Moscow keeping parts of Donbas region and Kyiv not joining NATO, on terms that Russian President Vladimir Putin must exit his military alliance with China.