Vivek Ramaswamy declares his candidacy for the 2024 US Presidential Elections as a Republican, following a less-than-ideal performance in Iowa, according to a statement from his spokesperson reported by the news agency AFP.
Ramaswamy (38 years old) has given his endorsement to his competitor, former President Donald Trump. Despite previously labeling Trump as the “best president of the 21st century,” he endeavors to persuade Republican voters to embrace the idea of “fresh legs” and elevate the “America First agenda” to new heights.
Emulating Trump’s approach, the affluent political outsider structured his campaign as a swift-talking, attention-grabbing populist who consistently taunted opponents. Despite facing numerous legal challenges, Donald Trump clinched a decisive win in the initial 2024 Republican presidential competition in Iowa on Monday, reinforcing his influence within the party as he pursues a rematch with Democratic President Joe Biden, as reported by Reuters.
“THANK YOU IOWA, I LOVE YOU ALL!!!” Donald Trump reacted on his social media platform, Truth Social.
Vivek Ramaswamy also threw his support behind Trump as the former US president aimed to reclaim the White House in November.
“After thorough consideration, it is evident that we did not achieve the surprise we aspired to deliver tonight… At this juncture, we are suspending this presidential campaign. There is no viable path for me to secure the presidency,” stated Ramaswamy, as quoted by PTI.
“As I have maintained from the outset, there are two America First candidates in this race. Tonight, I reached out to Donald Trump to convey my congratulations on his victory, and moving forward, he will have my complete endorsement for the presidency,” he further remarked.
Edison Research projected that Florida Governor Ron DeSantis secured a second-place finish, surpassing former UN Ambassador Nikki Haley in the race to establish themselves as the primary alternative to Trump. With nearly 90% of the anticipated vote counted, Trump led with 50.9%, followed by DeSantis at 21.4% and Haley at 19.0%, according to Edison.
The largest winning margin in an Iowa Republican caucus had been 12.8 percentage points, achieved by Bob Dole in 1988.
At this stage, it is premature to determine whether Trump would surpass the 50% threshold, a significant figure that would further diminish his rivals’ argument that his path to the nomination could be disrupted, as reported by Reuters. Both DeSantis and Haley had sought a robust second-place finish to persuade donors and supporters that their challenges to Trump remained viable.
Trump has sought to cultivate an aura of inevitability around his campaign by opting out of all five Republican debates to date. He has largely avoided the customary county-by-county politicking that most candidates engage in leading up to the Iowa vote.
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