(RepublicanJournal.org) – The contest to decide who will be November’s Republican presidential nominee is now well and truly underway with former president Donald Trump winning an early and convincing victory in the Iowa caucus. That’s already having a predictable effect on his competitors, and Vivek Ramaswamy has suspended his campaign in an admission that he can’t beat Trump. That doesn’t mean his political career is over, though, because Trump is hinting that his former rival could find a place on his team.
Ramaswamy Accepts the Inevitable
On January 15, Iowa Republicans voted for their party’s presidential nominee, kicking off the 2024 race in earnest. The result was unambiguous, with Trump winning 51% of the votes — more than the next two, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and former UN ambassador Nikki Haley — combined. Tech billionaire Vivek Ramaswamy, who’s been trying to position himself as the obvious successor to Trump, came in a distant fourth with just 7.7% support.
Unsurprisingly, he’s decided he has no chance of actually winning, so instead of spending more money and causing unnecessary division in the party, he’s dropped out of the race.
Ramaswamy has now swung behind Trump, offering the leading candidate his support. On January 16, he appeared with Trump at a rally in Atkinson, New Hampshire, and made it clear that he’s backing the former president. That went down well with the crowd, with several people chanting “Veep!” as a sign they’d like to see Ramaswamy as Trump’s running mate.
Interestingly, Trump also teased the idea that Ramaswamy could play a part in his team. After praising the former candidate for his comments, and calling him “a fantastic guy,” he said he was surprised when Ramaswamy called to let him know he was winding up his campaign “because he was doing well.” He added that he’s honored to have Ramaswamy’s endorsement. Then he said, “He’s going to be working with us and he’ll be working with us for a long time.”
What Now for Ramaswamy?
After the New Hampshire rally, Fox News journalist Jesse Watters asked Ramaswamy if he’d be willing to serve as Trump’s vice president; he replied that he wants to serve the country any way he can. Will he get the chance? Ultimately that’s up to Trump. There’s been speculation that Trump would pick a female running mate, with Representative Elise Stefanik (R-NY) and Arizona gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake both suggested as possibilities.
Trump will have one eye on bringing in as many voters as possible, though, and Ramaswamy did manage to attract significant support in Iowa; that could easily tip the balance in his favor and get him a high-ranking position on Trump’s team.
Copyright 2024, RepublicanJournal.org
