Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramawamy made numerous controversial statements during the fourth Republican presidential debate, even going so far as to call one of his fellow contenders a “fascist.”
Ramaswamy fired many shots at his competition on stage, particularly former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley, and was shot many times himself.
NIKKI HALEY RETURNS TO ‘VERIFY EVERYONE’ SOCIAL MEDIA PROPOSAL, WANTS FREE SPEECH FOR ‘ANONYMOUS AMERICANS’
Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramawamy joined his fellow Republican contenders on stage for the fourth debate of the Republican presidential primary, drawing attention with several controversial statements. (REUTERS/Brian Snyder)
CALLING NIKKI HALEY ‘FASCIST’
Ramaswamy attacked Haley as a “fascist” early in the debate, citing the former United Nations (UN) ambassador’s calls for social media users to be “name-verified.”
The Republican presidential candidate said that the United States is “marching toward fascism under Biden” and that “[Special Counsel] “Jack Smith has cited every last retweet anyone ever posted of Donald Trump in 2020.”
“The only person more fascist than the Biden regime now is Nikki Haley, who thinks the government should identify every one of those individuals with an ID,” Ramaswamy said, drawing boos from the crowd.
“That’s not freedom, that’s fascism, you shouldn’t get close to the levers of power, much less the White House,” he continued.
Haley walked back her comments after facing backlash, saying she wanted social media companies to be transparent with Americans and show their algorithms.
Ramaswamy attacked Haley as a “fascist” early in the debate, citing the former United Nations (UN) ambassador’s calls for social media users to be “name-verified.” (Eric Thayer/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
“What I know, what anyone in intelligence [knows]…Russia, Iran and China, and also North Korea, know that the cheapest form of war is to spread misinformation. Look what happened to Israel. Want to know where all this pro-Hamas information comes from? It comes from foreign actors who are sowing chaos and division,” he said in November.
ATTACK NIKKI HALEY’S INTELLIGENCE
Ramaswamy also attacked Haley’s intelligence on stage, saying she couldn’t name a Ukrainian province she would theoretically send soldiers to if she were elected president amid the war with Russia.
The Ohio businessman said Haley and Biden were two of the last “neoconservatives” to support a “senseless war” in Ukraine.
“One thing Joe Biden and Nikki Haley have in common is that neither of them could even name three provinces in eastern Ukraine that they want to send our troops to fight,” Ramaswamy said.
Ramaswamy’s words prompted a response from former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, who criticized Ramaswamy for attacking Haley’s intelligence.
Christie criticized Ramaswamy as “America’s most obnoxious blowhard” for his comments and defended Haley as an “intelligent” and “established” woman.
TELL CHRISTIE TO EAT ‘AND GET OFF THE STAGE’
Ramaswamy’s words prompted a response from former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, who criticized Ramaswamy for attacking Haley’s intelligence. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)
The crowd erupted in laughter when Ramaswamy told Christie to leave the presidential debate stage and eat a “meal.”
The attack came after Christie fired at Ramaswamy for his comments targeting Haley for her intelligence.
Ramaswamy responded to Christie, telling the former Garden State governor to leave the stage, “enjoy a good meal and get out of this race.”
“Chris, your version of foreign policy experience was closing a bridge between New Jersey and New York,” Ramaswamy said.
“So do everyone a favor: get off the stage, have a good meal, and get out of this race,” he continued.
SAUDI ARABIA ON SEPTEMBER 11, JANUARY 6 AND MORE
Ramaswamy also raised eyebrows on stage when he said he was the “only candidate” on stage who would raise questions about the Jan. 6 Capitol riot, Saudi Arabia’s involvement in 9/11 and more.
As he criticizes Republicans on stage for former President Trump’s ‘Monday morning quarterbacking’
The Ohio businessman said he believes the Jan. 6 riots appear more like an “inside job” and that the U.S. government “lied” to the American people about Saudi Arabia’s involvement in the 9/11 attacks.
Additionally, Ramaswamy said that the “Great Replacement Theory is not some grand right-wing conspiracy theory” but rather “a basic statement of the Democratic Party platform” and that 2020 was “stolen by Big Tech.”
Ramaswamy continues his quest for the Oval Office in a shrinking Republican field.
The Ohio businessman will have to fight among the other remaining Republican candidates for a chance to take on Biden for the presidency.
However, even if he outperforms his colleagues on stage, Ramaswamy is still far behind Trump in the primaries.
