Last Updated: October 05, 2023, 09:23 IST
Washington D.C., United States of America (USA)
Republican presidential candidate and former biotech executive Vivek Ramaswamy addresses the Pray Vote Stand Summit, organized by the Family Research Council in Washington, U.S. September 15, 2023. (Reuters)
Republican candidate Vivek Ramaswamy criticizes Zelenskyy’s request for US funds in Ukraine and outlines his vision for the 2024 presidential race
Accusing Volodymyr Zelenskyy of holding the US hostage for more funds, Vivek Ramaswamy has criticised Ukraine’s President for banning 11 opposition parties in the war-torn country. In an interview with Fox News, the Indian American GOP candidate defended his statement that he would cut aid to Ukraine if elected as the US president.
Ramaswamy rebuked Zelenskyy for consolidating all media into one state media arm and claimed that Ukraine’s president has threatened Washington not to hold its own normal elections this year unless it gets more funding.
“Just because Putin is an evil dictator — and he is — does not mean that Ukraine is good,” the 38-year-old White House hopeful said. “This (Ukraine) is a country that has banned 11 opposition parties. This is a country that has consolidated all media into one state media arm, whose president just last week was praising a Nazi in his own ranks, has threatened the United States not to hold its own normal elections this year unless it gets more funding,” Ramaswamy said.
“Now polling third and fourth in major national polls, Ramaswamy said he is on his way to becoming the Republican party’s presidential nominee for the November 2024 elections. Six months ago, even five months ago, most people across this country didn’t know who I was. Now we’re already polling in third in national averages in many cases,” he said.
Over his prospects of GOP nomination, the tech billionaire said, “I think we are on our way to the nomination. But, to me, this isn’t about me. It isn’t about Trump. It’s about putting America first. I think that message is resonating across the country. It will take someone of a different generation to reach the next generation,” said the Indian American leader. Responding to a question.”
“Look, the Democrats are absolutely on this platform, and even look at the hypocrisy of some on stage. Nikki Haley’s own adult daughter uses TikTok and she’s virtue signalling on stage about the importance of hiding from it, he said. We have to win elections to drive change in this country. We can’t just hide in our own echo chambers. So, yes, I want to win in landslides. I want to reach young people so that we can implement policies like banning social media in kids under the age of 16, which I favour,” he said.
“We have to engage in that true open dialogue to be able to enact policies like declaring economic independence from China. I think it’s hypocritical for many Republicans. You want to just take other companies like Airbnb. Airbnb hands over the user data of us users to the Chinese Communist Party, just like TikTok or any other company. So, the fact that they’re American-owned doesn’t make a difference,” he said.
The Ohio businessman said he knows the American dream exists because he has lived it. “I have built multiple multibillion-dollar companies. I think now is the moment to have a CEO in the White House,” he asserted.
(With agency inputs)
