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Just hours after results flowed in from the Iowa caucus, businessman Vivek Ramaswamy announced that he will suspend his bid for the Republican nomination, and will instead throw his support behind President Donald Trump.
During a press conference with supporters, Ramaswamy acknowledged that “there is no path” for his campaign’s victory and that the nation still needed an “America First” candidate inside the White House, referring specifically to Trump.
“As I’ve said since the beginning, there are two ‘America First’ candidates in this race,” Ramaswamy stated. “And I called Donald Trump to tell him that I congratulate him on his victory, and now going forward, he will have my full endorsement for the presidency, and I think we’re going to do the right thing for this country.”
Ramaswamy, who entered the race in February 2023, finished fourth place in Iowa on Monday, receiving nearly eight percent support among caucusgoers.
President Trump came on top with an impressive record-setting near 30-point victory over second-place finisher Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, while former S.C. Gov. Nikki Haley narrowly trailed the governor by nearly two points.
Ramaswamy built the majority of his support up over the past year by remaining MAGA-friendly and allying himself with the policies that brought Trump his successes.
Throughout his campaign, Ramaswamy was well-known for criticizing fellow candidates such as Nikki Haley and former N.J. Gov. Chris Christie for their supposed establishment bonafides.
Ramaswamy also defended Trump throughout much of his legal battles, particularly when it came to ballot access cases in Colorado and Maine, more vehemently than other Republican candidates.
Nonetheless, Trump took swipes at the businessman only days ago when he said the vote for Ramaswamy was a “wasted vote,” calling on Iowans to caucus for Trump.
“Vivek started his campaign as a great supporter, ‘the best President in generations,’ etc. Unfortunately, now all he does is disguise his support in the form of deceitful campaign tricks,” Trump wrote in a post to Truth Social on Monday.
“Very sly, but a vote for Vivek is a vote for the ‘other side’ — don’t get duped by this. Vote for ‘TRUMP,’ don’t waste your vote!” he concluded.
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