Republican presidential hopeful Vivek Ramaswamy is eyeing “executives” for potential vice president picks, saying during a campaign stop on Friday that someone like Elon Musk — were he eligible — would be an “ideal” running mate.
Asked by a voter if he would be able to find enough people who agree “with you that won’t cut your legs off” to fill his cabinet, Ramaswamy replied, “I’m looking for people who are executives,” according to Fox News Digital.
“Not in the pool of Washington, D.C.,” the nation’s first Millennial candidate for the White House said. “If you’re looking outside the pool, there’s 300 million mostly good people in this country … So, a lot of them are going to be outsiders. I mean, an ideal vice president would be someone like an Elon Musk. Now, he wasn’t born in the country, so he can’t, you know, but that’s the mold.”
Musk was born in South Africa, so he is prohibited from running for the vice presidency or presidency, but the 38-year-old Ramaswamy has previously dropped the billionaire’s name as a possible White House adviser.
Musk and Ramaswamy have talked.
Back in October, the candidate confirmed as much to Reuters, telling the outlet that the owner of X attended one of his Northern California fundraisers.
“He showed up late at night and we had a conversation,” Ramaswamy said.
“He and I are increasingly alone in this world as being free speech absolutists and that I think is different from a lot of people in both parties,” he added. “I think that’s something he and I see eye to eye on.”
On X, Musk has repeatedly praised Ramaswamy, calling him at different times “a strong candidate,” “compelling,” and “interesting.”
Vivek is increasingly looking like a strong candidate
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) August 18, 2023
Vivek is increasingly compelling
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) August 24, 2023
Vivek is saying interesting things
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) September 28, 2023
During the town hall on Friday, Ramaswamy credited former President Donald Trump for teaching him the importance of having some outsiders around him in the White House.
“It helps to have somebody who has complete and total disregard for the norms of Washington, D.C.,” he said. “Let’s take a jackhammer to it. It’s all fake. Most of it’s made up.”
But, as much as he clearly respects Trump, Ramaswamy told Iowans in Council Bluffs on Thursday that voting for him is a “trap.”
“So I’m asking you to do, even though many of you would have thought of supporting Trump on Jan. 15, I’m asking you do a counterintuitive thing because the game they’re pulling on us is counterintuitive,” Ramaswamy said. “They’re selling you the rope today that they will use to hang us tomorrow. Do not fall for their trap. You have right here an America First candidate, who will take that movement further with fresh legs. And this time at least, they’re not going to stop me and I understand the law of the Constitution.”
Though “we love Donald Trump,” voters should “pick a commander in chief” who is not “wounded,” he urged the crowd.
“It’d be a lot easier for me to step aside, let Trump do the job,” Ramaswamy said. “They’re not going to let him get anywhere near. The America First movement does not belong to one man, it doesn’t belong to Donald Trump, it doesn’t belong to me. It belongs to you, the people of this country.”
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Melissa Fine is the former executive editor of Casino Player, Strictly Slots, and Poker
Digest magazines. She is a UCLA graduate, news junkie, and dedicated Stargate SG-
1 fan. Melissa currently lives with her dog and two cats in a tiny town in the Sierra
Nevada foothills.
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