Trump Takes Aim at Rival Vivek Ramaswamy in Heated Republican Nomination Battle
Former President Donald Trump accuses Republican candidate Vivek Ramaswamy of deceitful campaign tactics, sparking a public feud. Ramaswamy positions himself as the best alternative to Trump as the Iowa caucuses approach.
Former President Donald Trump has taken aim at Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy, accusing the Indian-American entrepreneur of engaging in deceitful campaign tricks as the two battle for the Republican nomination. This comes ahead of the Iowa caucuses, the first step in the process for both parties to choose their nominees for the upcoming presidential election. Criticism against Ramaswamy stemmed from shirts distributed by his campaign reading 'Save Trump, Vote Vivek,' which the former president called a deceitful campaign trick, essentially urging voters to save Trump by voting for Ramaswamy.
Donald Trump threw Vivek Ramaswamy under the bus like he was nothing.
— Dustin Grage 🐊 (@GrageDustin) January 14, 2024
He doesn’t care about any of you. He will throw any of you away the moment you are no longer useful to him.pic.twitter.com/OzPHy0BGZJ
Trump admonished voters not to be "duped" by this and emphasized that Ramaswamy "is not MAGA (Make America Great Again)." This sparked some of the first public attacks aimed at the 38-year-old candidate by Trump and his team. Ramaswamy, who had largely avoided criticizing Trump until now, responded by reiterating his respect for the former president before doubling down on his claim that Trump's political enemies aim to eliminate him from the race and that they will narrow the field to a 2-candidate race between Trump and another Indian-American candidate, Nikki Haley.
He also described the system as stopping at nothing to keep Trump away from the White House. Despite the fallout, Ramaswamy has continued to position himself as the best alternative to Trump, offering to save Trump and this country by voting for him. He has even humorously offered the possibility of Trump serving as his running mate or adviser as he seeks to align himself with Trump without directly attacking his former ally.
Voters will make their voices heard in the first-in-the-nation caucuses, while Ramaswamy has been engaging with Trump-leaning voters by positioning himself as a potential future leader who can execute as a businessman with a deep understanding of the Constitution. This spat between Trump and Ramaswamy is sure to heat up as both candidates vie for support in the Republican race.
