After propping this grifter up for months on end, it seems Fox's Sean Hannity has finally had enough of Vivek Ramaswamy. Ramaswamy made an appearance on Hannity's show this Thursday, and things didn't go too well for him when he accused Nikki Haley of benefiting financially from war.
During the heated exchange, Hannity pressed Ramaswamy about a number of statements he has made on the campaign trail, particularly as it relates to foreign policy and former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley, one of his 2024 Republican rivals.
“Why would you call Nikki Haley corrupt?” Hannity asked.
“If you’re making money off your time in government, then I don’t think you’re fit to be president of the United States,” Ramaswamy said.
“A lot of people don’t think you’re qualified because you weren’t even a Republican or voting Republican until, what, 2020?” Hannity replied.
“Well Sean, it depends on what your objectives with this interview are,” Ramaswamy retorted. “I voted libertarian in my first election. I voted Republican in 2020. You’re right, I’m not a partisan hack. I come in from the outside. I’m an independent-minded patriot who speaks the truth.”
Later in the interview, Ramaswamy suggested Hannity was pushing what he called “fake news” narratives in the mainstream press that are often decried by Republicans.
Here's more of the back and forth over Haley from Mediaite:
“What you’re doing here is– saying about Nikki Haley, is you’re saying that her concern for Israel is driven by financial and a corrupting influence,” Hannity said. “And your explanation that there’s disproportionate focus on rape, kidnapping and murder of the Jewish people in this attack and they’re – and your quote, ‘that there are frankly financial and corrupting influences that lead them exactly to speak the way they do.'”
“Sean, that is a shameful mischaracterization,” Ramaswamy said.
“Hey, Vivek, wait a minute, stop right now,” Hannity said before referencing the candidate’s history of denying things he has said. “You do this in every single interview. You say stuff and then you deny it. You deny your own words. So, you know, why don’t you just own what you say and stand by it and stop playing these games?”
“Sean, I am owning what I said,” the candidate replied before reiterating his criticism of the “barbaric” attacks on Israel. “Where I differ from other candidates in this field is that I also believe that this is Israel’s decision to make. The U.S. should stand with Israel, but we need to be very careful not to enter a broader regional war in the Middle East.”
Hannity then returned to Ramaswamy’s criticism of Haley.
“I want an exact explanation for your exact comments that are there ‘frankly financial and corrupting influences that lead them exactly to speak the way that they do,'” Hannity pressed. “What are financial corrupting influences that Nikki Haley is taking a position on? We’ve got pictures of dead babies decapitated, burned babies’ bodies. We’ve got the equivalent of what would be, population-wise in the U.S. over 37,000 dead Americans. So, how much more evidence do you need? What are you talking about?!”
Ramaswamy filibustered, prompting Hannity to shout, “Answer the question!”
And the arguing continued from there. It seems Fox's new preferred candidate is Nikki Haley if Trump ever finally implodes before the primary is over.
And, as Justin Baragona noted, he let this one slip. Too bad he didn't say the same thing to Trump before it was too late for all of us.
