Vivek Ramaswamy’s Shooting Star Moment

This is part of a series focused on each of the current Republican presidential candidates. Subscribe to be updated when each part appears.

Vivek Ramaswamy literally wrote the book on woke.

Following a successful career as a hedge fund investor specialising in the biotech industry, Ramaswamy wrote Woke, Inc.: Inside Corporate America’s Social Justice Scam, in which he battered American institutions over a perceived far-left agenda that favoured equality and diversity over making ‘data-based’ decisions regardless of gender, race, or socio-economic factors.

His vocal criticism of “cultural totalitarianism”, combined with intelligence, charisma, eloquence, with a shameless appetite for self-promotion, has seen him rapidly rise as a go-to guest for conservative media. Until recently, Ramaswamy stuck hard to an ill-defined anti-woke agenda, building a Trumpian reputation (at least among his right-wing supporters) for skewering the left on diversity issues.

In the lead-up to the debate and during the event itself — perhaps sensing the woke issue had run its course — he pivoted towards a broader Ayn Rand-style agenda of America making decisions based on rational self-interest (a Rand mantra he espoused, but did not attribute, during the debate).

Where does he stand on the big issues?

Foreign policy

Ramaswamy has called support for Ukraine “disastrous” and is opposed to providing further aid in that country’s defence against Russia. Instead, he has said that, as president, he would agree to allow Russia to keep any currently seized territory and bar Ukraine from ever joining NATO, in exchange for Vladimir Putin severing ties with China.

If that sounds bad for Ukraine, its worse news for Taiwan under a Ramaswamy Administration. He has all but said that he will allow China free rein to invade Taiwan, but only after the U.S. achieves independence in semiconductor production, for which the U.S. heavily relies on the island nation. Ramaswamy estimates this will occur in 2027, a timeline no serious expert agrees on.

This isolationist streak extends as far as withdrawing financial aid to Israel, a position previously considered anathema among Republicans.

Abortion

During a back and forth discussion on the topic during the debate between Haley, DeSantis, Burgham and Pence, Ramaswamy was not pressed on the issue. Despite telling an Iowa State Fair crowd that he is “unapologetically pro-life”, Ramaswamy is on record as opposing a national abortion ban.

Climate Change

Ramaswamy raised eyebrows during the debate by coming out as a climate change denier. He said, twice, that “climate change is a hoax”, doubling down by claiming that “the reality is more people are dying of bad climate change policies than they are of actual climate change.”

Cue the fact-checkers.

I worked for years as a political communications advisor. The best compliment we could give a candidate is that they were ‘across their brief’, meaning that they not only remembered their talking points, but understood them well enough to put them into context and defend them in detail when pressed.

Onstage, Ramaswamy was across his brief.

His statements came with an authoritative air that dared the audience to question the absolute truth of his assertions (see ‘climate change’).

More than any of the other Trump-without-the-baggage candidates, Ramaswamy has studied The Donald’s dark arts of public performance and put them into practice. He was quick with a nasty putdown of his rivals, especially when it conveniently distracted from a problematic topic.

This was never more effective than when Chris Christie called him out for stealing Barrack Obama’s self-reference as a “skinny guy with a funny last name.”

“Give me a hug — give me a hug just like you did to Obama,” Ramaswamy retorted, referencing Christie’s controversial greeting of the then-president’s relief efforts in the wake of Hurricane Sandy.

“And you will help elect me just like you did Obama, too. Give me that big hug, brother.”

Donald Trump may have been physically absent from the stage, but Ramaswamy summoned him in spirit.

How will he play to the Republican base?

So far, the reviews have been glowing. Much of the pundit class is predicting a rising Ramaswamy will soon eclipse the stumbling number two in the polls. His rivals seem to agree. Tellingly, most of the on-stage punching up was directed his way, rather than at Ron DeSantis. A sure presidential debate indicator of who the toughest competition will be.

Ramaswamy is ascendant in the press and in the polls. The question now is whether he can sustain the momentum with the Republican base or whether they will soon find his millennial chutzpah grating.

In both style and substance, though, he came off as the candidate most reminiscent of Donald Trump. Like Trump, Ramaswamy makes a virtue of his arrogance. Whether there is room for two candidates like that in the race remains to be seen. Though Trump has gone conspicuously easy on Ramaswamy, perhaps indicating that the master sees an apprentice. And a VP.

Any chance his fortunes will change with primary voters if Donald Trump withdraws from the race, however unlikely that is?

If the desire for Trumpism-without-Trump proves to be real, Ramaswamy, DeSantis, and South Carolina Senator Tim Scott are best positioned to fill the void left by the former president.

Alternatively, a primary without Trump could see an exodus of the MAGA crowd and see a gravitational shift back to more mainstream Republican candidates like Mike Pence or Nikki Haley. Such a turn might even allow some redemption for Chris Christie, who is even more out of favor with Trumpists than Pence is.

Either way, Ramaswamy’s going to be fine. His campaign is more about building a brand than actually winning the presidency. Half his current rivals will be beating a path to his door to make him their vice president. Though they will have to compete with every conservative news outlet who will want to give him a prime-time show.

Say Ramaswamy becomes the nominee for the Republican Party. Every campaign needs a good theme song. What should his be?

Oh, please, as if it could ever be anything but this.

For a light-hearted (and now historically-inaccurate) prediction of the first Republican Presidential Debate, click below.