Exclusive: MILWAUKEE — Former Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswami told Fox News Digital that President Trump was “in high spirits” after surviving an assassination attempt on Saturday, called him an “inspiration” and said he would be “someone to unite the country” and praised his “fantastic” selection of Sen. J.D. Vance as his running mate.
Fox News Digital spoke exclusively with Ramaswamy shortly after President Trump selected Vance, a Republican from Ohio, as his running mate on Monday.
“He’ll be a great vice president,” Ramaswami told Fox News Digital, adding that he’s known him for “over 10 years.”
Vivek Ramaswami (Micah Green/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
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Ramaswamy and Vance were classmates at Yale Law School and both grew up in southwest Ohio.
Sen. J.D. Vance is photographed on the first day of the Republican National Convention at Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee on July 15, 2024. (Win McNamee/Getty Images)
“Not only will he be a great advocate for policy, but I think his story is a story of the American Dream and will inspire a lot of people. And he wants policies that allow a lot of people to live the same dream that he did,” Ramaswamy said. “And I like him.”
“He’s in politics for the right reasons. He’s honest. And I think he’s a great choice and outstanding,” Ramaswami added.
Vance grew up in a working-class family in a small town in southwestern Ohio: his parents divorced when he was young, and his mother struggled for many years with drug and alcohol abuse, so he was raised by his maternal grandparents.
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After graduating from high school, Vance enlisted in the Marines and served in the Iraq War, then graduated from Ohio State University and earned a law degree from Yale University.
Republican vice presidential nominee, Sen. J.D. Vance (R-Ohio), will be introduced at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee on Monday, July 15, 2024. (AP Photo/Matt Luke)
Vance, who lives in Cincinnati, moved to San Francisco after graduating from law school. billionaire Venture capitalist Peter Thiel, She later became a major donor to Vance’s 2020 Senate victory.
Before running for Senate, Vance gained national attention when his story of growing up in a struggling steel town and his Appalachian roots in Kentucky became a New York Times bestseller and a Netflix film called “Hillbilly Elegy.” The story shone a spotlight on the values of many working-class Americans who have come to support Trump’s policies.
Ramswamy also told Fox News Digital that he feels Vance will attract younger voters but also “more than that.”
“I think he’s going to attract a lot of people who are looking for economic mobility in the country, and I think he’s going to attract a lot of people who aren’t traditional Republicans,” he said.
Meanwhile, Ramaswami reflected on Saturday’s assassination attempt on former President Trump at a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. He told Fox News Digital that the former president and Republican candidate is handling the days since the assassination attempt “greatly.”
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“I spoke with President Trump that night. It was 12:30 in the morning and he was in his usual good spirits,” Ramaswami said. “And I think he demonstrated through his actions in that moment, ‘I’m taking the hit, but I’m going to stand up for the people that I represent. I’m here to lead.'”
A person holds a sign supporting Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump and vice presidential candidate Sen. J.D. Vance during the first day of the Republican National Convention at Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee on July 15, 2024. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
“I think it’s a worthy celebration and I think he’s an inspiration to a lot of Americans, even people who don’t agree with him on everything. I think this will go down in history,” he said.
Trump was wounded when multiple shots were fired toward the stage from an elevated location near the outdoor venue. Rally On Saturday, the former president was escorted off stage by Secret Service agents, with a bullet piercing the top of his right ear.
The would-be assassin was identified as 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks, and was shot and killed by a Secret Service sniper shortly after the shots were fired.
The footage shows former President Trump in the aftermath of the assassination attempt. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
But Crooks killed one spectator: Corey Comperatore, a father, husband and former fire chief from Buffalo Township, Pennsylvania.
Two other people were seriously injured in the attack, which authorities said is being investigated by the FBI as an assassination attempt.
“It’s a tragedy for the person who died and we must not forget that and our heartfelt condolences go out to the family,” Ramaswami said.
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“But miraculously, we were able to avert what could have been a national tragedy, and I think this is an opportunity for us to take a step back and ask ourselves what is important in this country,” he said. “We care about one country, and I believe President Trump is going to be the person that brings this country together.”
Donald Trump with J.D. Vance on November 7, 2022 in Vandalia, Ohio. (Sarah L. Voisin/The Washington Post via Getty Images)
As for the Republican National Convention taking place in Milwaukee this week, Ramaswamy told Fox News Digital he’s looking forward to “candor.”
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“I think Saturday night was a wake-up call and I hope it breaks through the verbosity of the usual speaking style,” he said, adding, “There are a lot of good people here who speak from their hearts.”
“I think this is a good thing for the country,” he told Fox News Digital. “I think this is the beginning of a process of closing a chapter of toxicity in our country that we hope to put behind us.”
