(RepublicanReport.org) – The field of Republicans hoping to take second place to Donald Trump in the upcoming primaries and caucuses shrank by one last week when Chris Christie dropped out of the race. For whatever reason, political newcomer Vivek Ramaswamy decided to stay in the race even though his polling average is about eight points behind Nicki Haley and nearly six under Ron DeSantis. The former president recently turned on him, accusing him of running a deceptive campaign.
On Saturday evening, January 13, Trump posted a statement on his Truth Social account tearing into Ramaswamy. He began by noting that the candidate launched his campaign as a “great supporter” of his vision for America, calling him the “best president in generations.”
However, Trump explained that Vivek pivoted and is now trying to “disguise his support [using] deceitful campaign tricks.” He warned his supporters not to “get duped by this.” Cutting to the chase, he told Republicans that casting a ballot for Vivek is the same as voting for the “other side.” He concluded his attack on Ramaswamy by stating, “Vivek is not MAGA.”
Trump didn’t indicate what made him turn on Ramaswamy for the first time since the pharmaceutical entrepreneur launched his campaign. However, an hour and 24 minutes earlier, Ramaswamy posted a photograph of himself with some young supporters in Iowa wearing “Save Trump — Vote Vivek” t-shirts that included the former president’s Fulton County, Georgia, mugshot inside an outline of Iowa.
A group of young men in Iowa came out in the blizzard. They sent a clear message. pic.twitter.com/SrVAeoHPey
— Vivek Ramaswamy (@VivekGRamaswamy) January 13, 2024
It’s no secret that Trump has spent considerable time and resources using his ongoing court cases as a key part of his fundraising efforts. There’s no way to know for sure if Ramaswamy’s decision to use the former president’s legal woes to raise money sparked Trump’s ire — but it probably didn’t help matters.
Several X users bashed Ramaswamy for fundraising from Trump’s legal problems.
I said it was bad at first, until I realized Vivek admits he used Trump's own image on t-shirts to boost his campaign against him. After using Trump supporters like Laura Loomer and the audience of Timcast to also boost himself. It feels naive and disrespectful. pic.twitter.com/vRZ8T85lIo
— Free the World šŗš²šš¦ (@PatriotVerity) January 14, 2024
For instance, Free the World posted a statement on her X account announcing her decision to withdraw her support for Ramaswamy as Trump’s running mate following his recent admission that he was using the former president’s image to boost his campaign. She also posted a clip of him speaking about the situation as proof he did it on purpose and didn’t regret the fundraising ploy.
Following the Iowa caucuses, Vivek Ramaswamy dropped out of the Presidential race and endorsed Trump.
Copyright 2024, RepublicanReport.org
