香港六合彩

The New York Times described him as promising 鈥渢o exert breathtaking power in ways that Donald Trump never did鈥�. An article for Time magazine called him a 鈥渞ockstar for those who think cancel culture is threatening every corner of American life鈥�.

Well-spoken, polemical and supremely self-assured, it鈥檚 no surprise that the Trump-loving Vivek Ramaswamy has emerged as the new darling of the Republican presidential primary field.

Coming out of the first GOP debate in late August, where he oratorically dazzled (and also drew sharp criticism) after a combination of pre-scripted lines and impromptu take-downs, Ramaswamy is gaining ground in the polls 鈥� and is reportedly seeing a 鈥渟urge of Iowans flock to his campaign stops,鈥� ahead of the state鈥檚 important caucus, due on January 15 2024.

Nationally, Ramaswamy has now cruised into third place in the Republican race, at 10%, according to FiveThirtyEight polling averages, and is hoping to overtake Florida governor Ron DeSantis (14%), once seen as the prohibitive choice to rival Donald Trump. While still some 40 points out of first place, it鈥檚 a sudden uptick for a candidate who was, until recently, a virtual unknown.

But at just 38 years old, can this billionaire rookie politician of Indian descent, who 鈥� according to his own admission 鈥� is a 鈥渟kinny guy with a funny last name,鈥� crack Trump鈥檚 insurmountable lead, much less foil his coronation?

Ramaswamy is a self-styled 鈥渃lear outsider鈥� who鈥檚 never served in government. A graduate of Harvard and Yale Law School, he cut his teeth at a Wall Street hedge fund, before founding a multi-billion-dollar pharmaceutical firm. As 鈥渙ne of the richest thirty-somethings鈥� in the nation, according to Forbes, Ramaswamy has lived, in his words, 鈥渢he American dream鈥�.

Ramaswamy, however, isn鈥檛 your typical socially liberal Ivy League graduate. He can rap like Eminem. And he鈥檚 called former US president Richard Nixon 鈥渢he most underappreciated president of our modern history in this country, probably in all of American history鈥�.

More importantly, he鈥檚 a chest-thumping, Maga-type who, despite praising Trump as 鈥渢he best president of the 21st century,鈥� is running to beat the ex-president so he can take the Trumpist agenda 鈥渕uch further鈥�.

The author of Woke, Inc. and Nation of Victims, Ramaswamy brags that he鈥檚 the original anti-woke candidate. A self-branded 鈥渘on-white nationalist鈥� he speaks stridently against the modern progressive movement.

Ramaswamy declares that he would appeal to voters of all colours and is fond of paraphrasing John Roberts, US supreme court chief justice, who has said: 鈥淭he right answer to stop discrimination on the basis of race 鈥� is to stop discriminating on the basis of race.鈥�

Ramaswamy says that he鈥檚 running for president to unite the country under a new 鈥淎merican Revolution鈥� based on 鈥�1776 ideals鈥�. Many of his policies, like the revolution he seeks to provoke, are decidedly counter-establishment.

For instance, Ramaswamy waxes poetically about laying off 75% of the federal workforce, taking a sledgehammer to US government agencies like the FBI and the Department of Education, and defeating the 鈥渕anagerial class鈥� that鈥檚 鈥渟preading like a plague鈥� across society.

Ramaswamy鈥檚 agenda also includes a number of political non-starters 鈥� for example, requiring every US citizen to pass the same civics exam that immigrants do in order to vote, before age 25.

Unlike most millennials, Ramaswamy has pilloried the climate change agenda as a 鈥渉oax鈥�. 鈥淒rill, frack, burn coal, and embrace nuclear鈥� is his unapologetic solution for America鈥檚 energy challenges.

On immigration, Ramaswamy favours ending America鈥檚 鈥済reen card鈥� lottery system, which annually makes available 50,000 visas to migrants, and replacing it with 鈥渕eritocratic admission鈥�. He advocates hardening the US-Mexico border 鈥渨here criminals are coming in every day鈥� through the deployment of military resources.

Although not an isolationist, Ramaswamy is sceptical about an activist US foreign policy. He wants to slash aid to Ukraine, implying that what鈥檚 in America鈥檚 best interest isn鈥檛 necessarily what鈥檚 in Russian President Vladimir Putin鈥檚 worst interest.

To end the war, Ramaswamy proposes granting Russia 鈥渕ajor concessions鈥�, while 鈥渇reezing 鈥� current lines of control in a Korean War-style armistice agreement鈥�. In exchange, 鈥淩ussia has to leave its treaty鈥� and its joint military agreement with China.

In Asia, Ramaswamy champions a full-scale economic 鈥渄ecoupling鈥� of the US from China. He also favours Washington more aggressively 鈥渄riving a wedge鈥� between Beijing and Moscow, which he calls 鈥渢he single greatest military threat that we鈥檙e going to face鈥�.

Ramaswamy鈥檚 response on Taiwan is short-term 鈥渟trategic clarity,鈥� insisting that he would defend the island 鈥渧igorously until the US achieves semiconductor independence,鈥� then return to a policy of 鈥渟trategic ambiguity鈥�.

Ramaswamy鈥檚 biggest potential strength, and liability, in the primaries is fusing himself to Trump鈥檚 hip. As 鈥淭rump 2.0,鈥� his challenge is a delicate one: to please the right-wing base, while still separating himself enough from Trump to win over converts.

So far, Ramaswamy has leaned toward the former.

When pressed, he鈥檚 said that he would have certified the 2020 election results. Yet he鈥檚 also claimed that former vice president Mike Pence missed a 鈥渉istoric opportunity鈥� to reform the electoral structure on January 6.

Ramaswamy has attacked criminal prosecutions of Trump as 鈥減olitically motivated and setting an awful precedent. He鈥檚 pledged to pardon Trump if elected. He鈥檚 even hinted at hiring Trump as an "adviser鈥� or 鈥渕entor鈥� in his White House.

Political statistician Nate Silver has predicted that Ramaswamy will almost certainly make more headway in the polls, especially as his name recognition grows. Yet that publicity will also make him a target.

Already, he鈥檚 feeling the heat. Washington Post columnist George F. Will has derided him as 鈥渃omparatively, a child鈥�.

Trump holds a commanding lead and looks poised to dominate Iowa and New Hampshire, before running the table in the remaining primaries.

If that happens, Ramaswamy might be auditioning for a cabinet post or a 2028 replay. The odds of Trump choosing him as his vice-presidential running mate seem remote. Ramaswamy is too charismatic and Trump resists sharing the spotlight.

For now, the silver-tongued, dynamic newcomer to the Maga party will enjoy his 15 minutes. Whether there鈥檚 substance behind his candidacy 鈥� and whether he has independent staying power 鈥� are the big questions for #Vivek2024 to answer.

This article first appeared in听听on 31听August 2023.听

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