Vivek Ramaswamy finished fourth in Iowa.
Iowa:
Vivek Ramaswamy, an Indian-American entrepreneur who finished fourth in the Iowa caucuses and withdrew from the 2024 Republican presidential race, has endorsed former President Donald Trump and urged Republican voters to put “America first, patriotism''. He called for a person to be installed in the White House.
“This entire campaign is about telling the truth,” Ramaswamy said on social media platform X. “We missed the mark tonight, but we need an America-first patriot in the White House. They have said loud and clear who they are.” Tonight, I will stop campaigning, support Donald J. Trump, and do everything in my power to help him become the next President of the United States. ”
“There's no way I'm going to be the next president unless there's something I don't want to happen in this country,” the 38-year-old political novice said at a press conference in Des Moines, as reported by The Washington Post. post.
“We didn't get the surprise we wanted to deliver tonight,” Ramaswamy said.
According to CNN News projections, Ramaswamy will finish fourth in Iowa, far behind Trump, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley.
The biotech entrepreneur said he plans to attend Tuesday night's rally in New Hampshire with President Trump. He further expressed his support for Mr. Trump, adding that he is very proud of the team, the movement, and the country.
“I called Donald Trump earlier tonight to congratulate him on his victory, and I know he will now fully support me as president,” Ramaswamy said.
Meanwhile, CNN reported that a spokesperson for President Ramaswamy's campaign expressed regret over the outcome, saying that the campaign is “digesting and deciding” on the next steps.
Victory in the Iowa caucuses is seen as Donald Trump's first step toward winning the Republican nomination for a third consecutive election. Incidentally, Trump lost the state eight years ago.
Speaking at his campaign headquarters in Des Moines, Iowa, Trump congratulated his opponents, DeSantis and Haley, saying they had “done very well.” He also praised Vivek Ramaswamy's “great job”, CNN reported. “They're very smart, very intelligent people, very capable people,” President Trump said of his opponents.
This whole campaign is about telling the truth. Although we missed our goal tonight, we need an America First patriot in the White House. People were loud and clear about who they wanted. Tonight, I will stop campaigning, support Donald J. Trump, and do everything…
— Vivek Ramaswamy (@VivekGRAmaswamy) January 16, 2024
Mr. Ramaswamy is expected to win only three of Iowa's 40 delegates once 96 percent of the results are announced, according to the latest numbers from CNN.
Ramaswamy has been one of Trump's staunchest defenders of the four charges against him. After the former president was disqualified from Colorado and Maine, he vowed to remove himself from the vote in both states. He even vowed to pardon President Trump on all charges on his first day in office.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
