Businessman Vivek Ramaswamy is set to suspend his 2024 presidential bid Monday night, according to his campaign, dropping out of the race after a disappointing showing in the Iowa caucuses.
The 38-year-old entrepreneur entered the race in Feb. 2023, in his first run for political office. Despite starting off as a relatively unknown candidate, Ramaswamy quickly gained traction with Republican voters by aligning himself with former President Donald Trump’s Make America Great Again (MAGA) movement.
However, as the campaign progressed, Ramaswamy struggled to gain significant support against Trump, who retained the loyalty of Republican voters. Despite his efforts to convince them that he would push the America First agenda championed by both him and Trump, Ramaswamy failed to make significant headway.
In the days leading up to the Iowa Caucuses, Ramaswamy adopted an increasingly conspiratorial tone, urging supporters to wake up and speaking of plots and forces attempting to shape the election. His message to Trump supporters became convoluted, as he discouraged them from voting for Trump, citing criminal cases against the former president and ongoing battles to keep him off the ballot in certain states.
However, just days before the Iowa Caucuses, Trump publicly criticized Ramaswamy for labeling him as wounded. Trump took to Truth Social, a social media platform he launched, to accuse Ramaswamy of resorting to deceitful campaign tactics.
Throughout his campaign, Ramaswamy pledged to take Trump’s policies even further if elected president. His platform included shutting down government agencies such as the FBI, ATF, and the Department of Education, as well as significantly reducing the number of federal workers. Ramaswamy also advocated for using the United States military to secure the southern and northern borders and ending birthright citizenship for American-born children of undocumented immigrants, arguing that the 14th Amendment was not meant to apply to them.
Ramaswamy frequently clashed with other Republican candidates during debates, particularly former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley. He labeled Haley a puppet for the deep state and engaged in several heated exchanges with her.
During his campaign, Ramaswamy infused millions of dollars of his own money into the race and held numerous public events, including over 300 in Iowa alone. Despite his efforts, he failed to gain the momentum necessary to continue his presidential bid.
With Ramaswamy dropping out of the 2024 presidential race, the Republican field narrows, leaving the remaining candidates to compete for the party’s nomination.
