CHICAGO — Former Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy made a surprise appearance on the final day of the Democratic National Convention, just hours before Vice President Harris was set to take the stage.
“I am holding an open meeting today with the public and the press to present an alternative vision that is supported not only by my party but also by the America First movement and Donald Trump, to give voters a choice,” Ramaswami said when asked by The Hill about his purpose in attending the convention.
“And I’ve called on Kamala Harris to lay out her vision, and we’ll see tonight if she does it,” he added.
He said he would be at the convention for a few hours and give some interviews, that he believes in open debate, and that he had spent some time with protesters in the city.
“The great thing about this country is you can voice your opinion, whether you agree with it or not, you can voice your opinion, and that’s what a lot of the protesters outside were doing,” Ramaswami said.
“And, you know? We’re not just here to lead the people that agree with us. We’re here to lead the whole country. And what I wanted to show by being here is that we believe in open debate,” he said. “We can debate respectfully. You can debate peacefully.”
Ramaswami ran against former President Trump in the Republican presidential primary, but later withdrew from the race and endorsed Trump.
Ramaswamy, a native of Ohio, has signaled he could be interested in running for the Senate if his seat becomes vacant if Sen. J.D. Vance (R-Ohio) is elected along with President Trump in November.
