- By Abhishek Sheoran
- Tue, 16 Jan 2024 10:38 AM (IST)
- Source:JND
Republican candidate Vivek Ramaswamy decided to opt out of the 2024 US presidential race after Donald Trump won the Iowa caucus. The 38-year-old entrepreneur made the announcement on Tuesday. Ramaswamy said he was ending his campaign after a disappointing performance in the Iowa caucuses. “As of this moment, we are going to suspend this presidential campaign. There’s no path for me to be the next president absent things that we don’t want to see happen in this country,” Ramaswamy said.
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Ramaswamy congratulated Trump on his victory and endorsed him for the presidential berth. “As I’ve said since the beginning, there are two America first candidates in this race and I called Donald Trump to tell him that. I congratulated him on his victory and now going forward he will have my full endorsement for the presidency, and I think we’re gonna do the right thing for this country,” he said while addressing his supporters in Iowa. Earlier, he hailed Trump as the “best president of the 21st century” in the past, while also urging Republican voters to choose “fresh legs” and “take our America First agenda to the next level.”
Born to immigrant parents from India’s Kerala, Ramaswamy was the youngest candidate in the fray and was quite popular in the media. In Iowa polls, he finished fourth by securing 7.7 per cent of the votes.
In his fervid campaign, Ramaswamy said the “climate change agenda” was a “hoax”, and said he would promote fossil fuel production.
He also strongly backed a six-week, state-mandated ban on abortion.
Ramaswamy also expressed his sharp views on immigration, asserting that he would deport all undocumented immigrants while promising to admit “darn close to zero” refugees.
