Vivek Ramaswamy declared his Republican presidential campaign following a dismal finish in Iowa, according to his spokeswoman, as reported by the news agency AFP.
Ramaswamy, 38, has backed his competitor, former President Donald Trump. He has previously referred to Trump as the “best president of the twenty-first century,” even as he attempted to persuade Republican supporters that they should choose “fresh legs” and “take our America First agenda to new heights.”
The wealthy political outsider likewise patterned his campaign after Trump’s, portraying himself as a fast-talking, headline-grabbing populist who relentlessly mocked opponents.
Donald Trump secured resoundingly in the first 2024 Republican presidential vote in Iowa on Monday, consolidating his control over the party despite a slew of legal issues as he seeks a rematch with Democratic President Joe Biden, Reuters reported.
“THANK YOU IOWA, I LOVE YOU ALL!!!” Trump posted on his social media channel, Truth Social.
Ramaswamy also supported Trump when the former US president attempted to retake the White House in November.
“I looked at every which way, and I think it’s true that we did not achieve the surprise that we wanted to deliver tonight… As of this moment, we are going to suspend this presidential campaign. There is no path for me to be the next president,” Ramaswamy said as quoted by PTI.
“As I’ve said since the beginning, there are two America First candidates in this race. And earlier tonight I called Donald Trump to tell him that I — congratulate him on his victory, and now going forward, you will have my full endorsement for the presidency,” he added.
According to Edison Research, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis finished well behind in second place, edging out former UN Ambassador Nikki Haley in the race to become Trump’s primary challenger.
According to Edison, with over 90% of the predicted votes counted, Trump has 50.9%, DeSantis 21.4%, and Haley 19.0%. In 1988, Bob Dole won the Iowa Republican caucus by 12.8 percentage points.
According to Reuters, it was too early to predict if Trump would surpass 50%, a psychological figure that would undermine his opponents’ premise that his march to the nomination might be thwarted.
Both DeSantis and Haley had been looking for a solid second-place performance to impress fundraisers and supporters that their challenges to Trump remain viable.
Trump has sought to build an air of inevitability about his campaign, skipping all five of the Republican debates thus far and mostly shunning the county-by-county politicking that most contenders perform before of the Iowa vote.
Stay Update with FELA NEWS!
Source: Live Mint
