With his early and comfortable win in the Iowa caucus, former president Donald Trump has officially begun the contest to become the Republican presidential nominee for November. It’s no surprise that his rivals are feeling the effects of this; for example, Vivek Ramaswamy has dropped out of the race, admitting he can’t defeat Trump. But Trump has dropped hints that his old adversary could end up on his team, so his political career is far from ended.
Ramaswamy Accepts the Inevitable
The 2024 presidential campaign officially began on January 15 when Republicans in Iowa cast their ballots for their party’s candidate. The outcome was crystal clear: Trump received 51% of the vote, which was greater than the combined totals of the next two candidates, former United Nations ambassador Nikki Haley and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis. With only 7.7 percent of the vote, IT mogul Vivek Ramaswamy, who has been attempting to establish himself as Trump’s clear heir, placed a dismal fourth.
Rather than waste money and sow discord within the party, he has, predictably, determined he has little chance of really winning and has thus stepped out of the contest.
Now that Trump has offered his backing, Ramaswamy has thrown his weight behind him. His appearance at a Trump event in Atkinson, New Hampshire on January 16th solidified his support for the former president. The audience loved it, and some even started yelling “Veep!” to show their support for Ramaswamy as a potential running mate for Trump.
Curiously, Trump has also hinted that Ramaswamy could be a part of his squad. Following his compliments and description of the ex-candidate as “a fantastic guy,” he expressed surprise at Ramaswamy’s decision to contact and inform him that the candidate was ending his campaign “because he was doing well.” In addition, he expressed his gratitude for Ramaswamy’s support. Then he continued, “He’ll be collaborating with us, and for quite some time.”
What Now for Ramaswamy?
Fox News reporter Jesse Watters questioned Ramaswamy after the New Hampshire rally whether he would be interested in being vice president under Trump. Ramaswamy said that he would be eager to help the country in any way he could. Will he have the opportunity? Trump has the last say in the matter. Some have speculated that Trump would choose a female running mate, including Representative Elise Stefanik (R-NY) and Kari Lake (R-AZ), who is running for governor of Arizona.
But Trump will be looking to draw in as many voters as possible, and Ramaswamy fared well in Iowa, so it might be the deciding factor in his favor and secure him a prominent role on Trump’s campaign.
