Ramaswamy attacked all three of his fellow rivals at the fourth GOP presidential primary debate
During the fourth GOP presidential debate, Vivek Ramaswamy, the Republican presidential candidate, stirred controversy by making several provocative statements. He even went to the extent of labeling one of his fellow contenders as a “fascist.”
Ramaswamy didn’t hold back in criticizing his competition on stage, particularly targeting former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley. In return, he faced significant criticism and pushback from other candidates.
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CALLING NIKKI HALEY A ‘FASCIST’
During the debate, Ramaswamy launched an early attack on Haley, labeling her as a “fascist.” He pointed to her previous advocacy for social media users to be “verified by their name” during her tenure as the United Nations (UN) ambassador.
Ramaswamy asserted that the U.S. is heading towards fascism under President Biden, claiming that Special Counsel Jack Smith had subpoenaed all retweets from Donald Trump in 2020.
He went on to assert, “The only person more fascist than the Biden regime now is Nikki Haley, who thinks the government should identify every one of those individuals with an ID.” This statement elicited boos from the audience.
Ramaswamy continued his critique, stating, “That is not freedom; that is fascism. She should come nowhere near the levers of power, let alone the White House.”
In response to the backlash, Haley revised her stance, expressing a desire for social media companies to be transparent and reveal their algorithms. In November, she emphasized the importance of recognizing that countries like Russia, Iran, China, and North Korea use misinformation as a cost-effective form of warfare.
She pointed to the spread of pro-Hamas information, attributing it to foreign actors aiming to sow chaos and division, particularly referencing events related to Israel.
ATTACKING NIKKI HALEY’S INTELLIGENCE
On stage, Ramaswamy also targeted Haley’s intelligence, asserting that she couldn’t name a Ukrainian province where she would potentially deploy soldiers if elected president during the conflict with Russia.
The Ohio businessman categorized both Haley and Biden as among the last “neocons” supporting what he deemed “pointless war” in Ukraine. Ramaswamy remarked, “One thing that Joe Biden and Nikki Haley have in common is that neither of them could even state for you three provinces in eastern Ukraine that they want to send our troops to fight for.”
Former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie responded to Ramaswamy’s comments, criticizing him for attacking Haley’s intelligence. Christie denounced Ramaswamy as “the most obnoxious blowhard in America” and defended Haley as a “smart” and “accomplished woman.”
TELLING CHRISTIE TO HAVE A ‘MEAL’ AND GET OFF THE STAGE
The crowd burst into laughter as Ramaswamy responded to Christie’s criticism by suggesting that he should exit the presidential debate stage and have a “meal.”
Ramaswamy’s retort followed Christie’s strong condemnation of Ramaswamy’s comments about Haley’s intelligence. Ramaswamy fired back at Christie, urging the former governor to leave the stage, saying, “Enjoy a nice meal and get the hell out of this race.”
He took a jab at Christie’s foreign policy experience, stating, “Chris, your version of foreign policy experience was closing a bridge from New Jersey to New York. So do everybody a favor: just walk yourself off that stage, enjoy a nice meal, and get the hell out of this race.”
SAUDI ARABIA ON SEPTEMBER 11, JANUARY 6, AND MORE
Ramaswamy drew attention on stage by asserting that he was the “only candidate” willing to raise questions about the January 6 Capitol Riots, Saudi Arabia’s role in the 9/11 attacks, and other contentious issues.
While criticizing fellow Republicans for what he termed as “Monday morning quarterbacking” former President Trump’s actions, the Ohio businessman expressed skepticism about the nature of the January 6 riots, suggesting it looked more like an “inside job.” He further claimed that the U.S. government had “lied” to the American people about Saudi Arabia’s involvement in the September 11 Attacks.
Ramaswamy also challenged the perception of the “Great Replacement Theory,” stating that it’s not merely a “grand, right-wing conspiracy theory” but rather a fundamental aspect of the Democratic Party’s platform. Moreover, he asserted that the 2020 election was “stolen by Big Tech.”
Ramaswamy is persisting in his pursuit of the Oval Office within a diminishing GOP field. The Ohio businessman faces the challenge of competing against the remaining Republican candidates to secure his opportunity to contend with Biden for the presidency.
Despite making strides against his fellow contenders, Ramaswamy lags significantly behind Trump in the primary race.