Ramaswamy calls for DeSantis, Haley to drop out and endorse Trump

Former Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy on Tuesday urged Republican presidential candidates Ron DeSantis and Nikki Haley to withdraw from the race to ensure party unity behind President Trump.

“Ron DeSantis and Nikki Haley are actually at this point not just nominating Donald Trump, but taking a step back so they can focus on taking back this country and restoring our founding revolutionaries. “I think he's going to contribute to this party,” Ramaswamy said in an interview with Fox News anchor Jesse Watters.

Asked if Watters would ask Haley and DeSantis to resign, Ramaswamy said, “I do. I think that's the healthy thing for this country.”

His comments came a day after he ended his bid for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination and announced his support for President Trump after a disappointing showing in the Iowa caucuses on Monday.

Ramaswamy had previously expressed support for Trump when they campaigned for each other, so Trump's support was not much of a surprise. At one point, Ramaswamy urged other 2024 contestants to pledge to pardon a former president accused of violating federal law for his handling of classified documents after leaving the White House.

Ramaswamy's long-shot bid ended up with disappointing numbers in Iowa and single-digit support in the Hawkeye State. According to the Decision Desk Headquarters, Trump won with 51% of the vote, a margin of nearly 30 percentage points, while DeSantis came in second with 21.2%, and Haley was a close second with 19.1%.

Many politicians point to Trump's victory in Iowa, where he called on DeSantis and Haley to step down. Fox News anchor Laura Ingraham said Tuesday that DeSantis has little to gain by remaining in the Republican primary and that Trump is “simply too strong” to beat DeSantis.

Meanwhile, the Wall Street Journal's editorial board announced the following: one sheet Earlier Tuesday, she urged DeSantis to step down to give Haley a chance to defeat Trump.