Mint Explainer: Who is Vivek Ramaswamy, the man disrupting the 2024 US prez race
pharmaceutical industry. His net worth is estimated at just under $1 billion. In recent years, Ramaswamy has become increasingly active in America’s culture wars.
He has opposed the “woke culture" and has criticized liberal positions on climate change, race relations, abortion and affirmative action. In 2023, he announced that he would seek the Republican Party’s nomination for US presidency. Ramaswamy has said that he would rule by fiat through substantial use of executive power if he is elected president.
He has called for radical downsizing of the US government, including the abolition of the Department of Education and the Internal Revenue Service. On social policy, he has opposed traditional liberal positions and has publicly said that the US was founded on “Judeo-Christian" values. On foreign policy, Ramaswamy has criticized US support for Ukraine in its ongoing war with Russia.
He has also called for closer ties with India. However, he also said that he wanted India to play a role in closing the Malacca strait against China in the event of a conflict. Ramaswamy has certainly gathered steam in recent weeks.
A strong performance in the first candidates debate last week boosted his political stock. According to political website Five Thirty Eight, Ramaswamy ranks third in opinion polls for the nomination, behind former president Donald Trump and Florida governor Ron De Santis. However, some have questioned whether Ramaswamy, who is a Hindu, can win support from Christian evangelical voters, who form a core part of the Republican party’s base.
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