Ramaswamy dodges question on past criticism of Donald Trump over Capitol riots

Washington DC, [US], September 13 : Indian-American entrepreneur and Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy dodged questions when he was asked about his old tweet criticising Donald Trump over the attack on the US Capitol. 
Ramaswamy further said that “censorship” was the real reason behind the January 6, 2021 episode, and Trump should instead have called for a re-election on January 7. 
In an interview with MSNBC news channel, journalist Mehdi Hasan asked Ramaswamy about his post from X (formerly Twitter) from January 12, 2021, where he had called Donald Trump’s action “downright abhorrent behaviour” and a “danger to democracy”. 
Speaking to MSNBC Channel, he said, “Let’s actually be fair to your audience. So, on January 10, 2021…days after that incident, I wrote an op-ed on Wall Street Journal, arguing that censorship was the real cause of what happened on January 6”. 
“When someone asked me, was that condoning what Donald Trump did, I said No. There is a difference between a bad judgement and a crime,” he added. 
On being further asked, what did Donald Trump do that was “abhorrent”, Ramaswamy said, “I think the thing that I would have done differently, if I were on his shoes. I would have declared re-election on January 7”. 
To this, reporter Mehdi Hasan said, “This is not what I asked”. 
Ramaswamy further said, “What I think was reprehensible about what happened…The way a true leader should have handled the situation, should have been to say ‘this is me running for re-election’, not always litigating what has actually passed and behind this. I would have done things differently, that is not a crime though what he did…”.
“I think failing to unite this country falls short of what a true leader ought to do. That is why I am in race, to do things differently than any prior President has done…the reason I have been so vocal is when somebody actually prosecute somebody for a bad judgement,” he added.
Notably, amid intense campaigning, both Trump and Ramaswamy have been praising each other and appeared to be less critical of each other’s policies.
Ramaswamy had recently said that he and Donald Trump share a deep alignment on policy matters, with over 90 per cent agreement while also acknowledging that there exist “small” differences.
He further asserted that he and Trump are the only two ‘America First’ candidates and he can take Trump’s agenda even further.
Earlier, Ramaswamy had dubbed Trump “the best president of the 21st century” during last week’s Republican primary debate and has characterized his candidacy as a bid to take the former president’s policies “to the next level.”
On the other hand, the former President had also heaped praises on the Indian-American candidate and even signalled that would be open to having him as his running mate, stating that "He would be very good…”.
Throughout his campaign, Ramaswamy has been one of Trump’s staunchest defenders against the four indictments levelled against him — even vowing to pardon the former president on his first day in office if elected, New York Post reported.
Meanwhile, Ramaswamy drew widespread attention and became one of the most-searched 2024 Republican contenders after the debate at Milwaukee’s Fiserv Forum.
The Indian American entrepreneur had shot up sharply in GOP primary polls, standing tied with Florida Governor Ron DeSantis at the second position. However, both candidates lag hugely behind former President Donald Trump who leads with 56 per cent, as per The Hill.
In another poll by RealClearPolitics, Trump is far out in front of the 2024 GOP race with 53.6 per cent support, followed by Florida Governor Ron DeSantis at 13.5 per cent, and Ramaswamy at 7.3 per cent, New York Post reported.
Ramaswamy's campaign has gained attention, and he has risen in GOP primary polls, although he still trails behind Trump and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis in support. The next US presidential election is scheduled for November 5, 2024.